Rising tennis star Masa Jovanovic has made her hometown of Werribee proud after achieving a lifelong dream of playing in a grand slam tournament.
Jovanovic teamed with fellow Melburnian Samuel Thompson to play in the mixed doubles at the 2015 Australian Open on Sunday and the locals were handed a dreamy but daunting draw.
On the other side of the net were former women’s No. 1 Martina Hingis (Switzerland) and doubles specialist Leander Paes (India).
Let’s put this into perspective.
Jovanovic and Thompson earned a wildcard into the tournament. They have been playing partners for only a short time.
Jovanovic’s dad, Momir, works night shift at a city hotel to make ends meet so he can coach his daughter.
Hingis, 34, is a five-time grand slam women’s singles winner, a three-peat champion at the Australian Open and is adored by fans worldwide.
She’s also a nine-time women’s doubles grand slam winner and has won one mixed doubles title en route to earning $20 million in prizemoney.
Paes might not have as big a name as Hingis, but he has a more than handy CV. The 41-year-old has won doubles titles at all four grand slams and is an Olympic Games bronze medallist.
The sun was out on Sunday, the dream was alive for the locals and a large pro-Australian crowd gathered at show court 3 to make it a special occasion for Jovanovic and Thompson, no matter what the outcome.
The pair displayed nervousness in the first set, with Hingis and Paes needing just 22 minutes to wrap it up 6-2.
The second set was a totally different story as the butterflies in the stomachs of Jovanovic and Thompson began to dissipate. They cleaned up their act on serve and got a break of their own to get their noses in front.
They even had a set-point opportunity before Hingis and Paes stamped their authority to take the second set 7-6 and the match.
No matter where the careers of Jovanovic and Thompson are headed, they will never forget their hour and five minutes on court with two out-and-out champions of the
game.
Jovanovic’s duties at Melbourne Park are not over. She will represent MCC in the Asia Pacific Tennis League finals this week.
