“TENNIS is an unpredictable sport. In this anything can happen at any anytime,” feels Slovenian tennis player Dalila Jakupovic. Jakupovic, seeded second in the ITF Nagpur Open, is currently ranked 215 in the WTA rankings. She got her career highest in the year 2018 when she become World No 64. When ‘The Hitavada’ contacted the 32-year-old and asked about her entry in tennis she said, “I started tennis at the age of 6. While walking with my parents around the court and parks I used to see some amateurs playing this sport and I fell in love with the game when I was just 4. At 6, I started playing but I never thought that one day I will represent my country.

 

“After two-three years of joining I started playing at local levels and slowly as I grew up the game improved and eventually my interest too. From Day 1 till today the journey has been very interesting and I hope this will continue further.” Jakupovic, who has reached the quarter-finals of Nagpur Open, has won many titles. Talking about her crowns she said, “I can’t tell you the exact number of overall trophies I have in my shelf. But I have six ITF singles titles and in doubles. I have clinched two WTA and five WTA Challengers crown.”

 

The Slovenian feels that the Grand Slams are the best thing. “The biggest tours are Grand Slams. I feel proud and privileged that I have participated in all the four Grand Slams. “I would like to mention that the best Grand Slam for me till date was US Open where I reached the quarter-finals in doubles event in 2018,” she said. When asked about her tours to India, she said, “I have came to India many times before. I played my last tournament in India a few weeks ago in Gurugram. But I am visiting Nagpur for the first time. This is a wonderful city and for me Nagpur Open becomes more familiar as it is happening on clay courts. I can say that the clay here is very different from the one on which I play in Europe. Here it’s a bit slippery and the bounce is also a bit more. I am happy today and will try to fight with new sprit. I will give my best and try for victory to advance further,” she signed off.