Lulu Sun of New Zealand plays a forehand return to Donna Vekič of Croatia during their quarter-final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (source: TASR/AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth))
At this year’s Wimbledon, the performance of Slovak male tennis players was not impressive, with Lukáš Klein and Jozef Kovalík not even passing the qualifying rounds.
Despite this, some Slovaks have found success at the All England Club in London, reports the Sportnet website.
Lulu Sun, 23, made it to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, led by a Slovak team headed by coach Vladimír Pláteník. Pláteník first saw her play last year at a tournament in Canada. Recognising her potential, he decided to accept the offer to coach her.
“We cooperate well with her, and she trusts us, which is the basis of success,” Pláteník said to JOJ television.
Sun beats Raducanu
Sun, born to a Chinese mother and Croatian father in New Zealand, was ranked in the top 300 last year. Following Wimbledon, she will rise to at least the top 60, achieving a career high. She won seven matches at the prestigious tennis tournament, including the qualifiers.
In the first round, she surprisingly defeated world number eight Qinwen Zheng from China. She then managed two tight matches and in the quarter-finals, she eliminated British favourite Emma Raducanu.
Pláteník had previously been offered the chance to coach Raducanu but declined. In the past, he trained Slovak player Dominika Cibulková and Swiss player Belinda Benčič, who has Slovak roots.
Emma Raducanu, right, of Britain congratulates Lulu Sun of New Zealand following their fourth round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (source: TASR/AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A woman of several firsts
Before her success at Wimbledon, Sun had never progressed past the first round of a Grand Slam event. She is the first woman from New Zealand to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. However, she grew up in Switzerland from the age of five. She studied international relations at the University of Texas, USA.
Sun, the world no.123, entered the WTA rankings shortly after turning 14 as the first player born in 2001 to do so.
Her successful journey at Wimbledon ended on July 9 when she lost in the quarter-finals to Donna Vekič from Croatia. If Sun had not lost, she could have become the first Wimbledon qualifier with a chance of winning the tournament.
