Croatian tennis player Donna Vekic. Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News
MANILA – Croatian tennis player Donna Vekić is embracing the outpouring of support from Filipino fans, after her last matchup with Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala.
After losing to Eala in the Kooyong Classic earlier this month, Vekić jokingly asked Filipinos to "adopt" her, citing the massive support for her 20-year-old opponent.
On social media, some Filipino fans have been referring to her as "tita" or aunt Donna.
READ: Alex Eala ousts Vekić to progress in ASB Classic
READ: Alex Eala repeats over Vekić in last warmup before Australian Open
Vekić is in the country to compete in the main draw of the Philippine Women's Open.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the Croatian tennis player said she's grateful for the love from the Filipino tennis community.
"After the match [against Alex Eala] I said maybe you’ll adopt me. And I definitely feel like you have. And I have felt the support since coming here," Vekić said.
"It's really nice. That's one of the reasons why I decided in the end to come here. And I've really been enjoying it so far," she added.
Vekić said she's adapted to the Filipino crowd and she's ready to hear them cheer.
"Yes, and so far, two times has been against me, and I hope now it's for me until I play Alex [Eala]. I enjoy when it's a big crowd, even when they're not cheering for me. It's nice," she shared.
GROWING PH TENNIS
Vekić said she's impressed with what she's seen so far – from the courts, the players, the fans – as the country hosts its first-ever WTA tournament.
"I've heard that a lot of work has been done the last couple of weeks for all of this to come together. The courts are playing nice, it's very humid and that usually suits my game, so it's worth it," she shared.
As a tennis player who's competed in various countries, Vekić is hopeful the inaugural competition will open doors for the development of the sport in the Philippines.
"It's great to see new tournaments coming in new countries. And it's my first time in the Philippines," Vekić said.
"It's great to see tennis, especially women's tennis being played here. And hopefully we have an even bigger tournament in the future," she added.
As the star of Eala continues to grow on the world stage, Vekić believes it's a good time to push for the development of tennis in the Philippines.
READ: For Alex Eala, PH Women's Open a platform for Pinoys to learn more about tennis
"I think, I mean, it's amazing to ride on the wave of Alex's fame and popularity, and what she brings to the country, and making people more aware of tennis. And I'm sure many, many, many kids started to play because of her, and that's great, you know. I always say it's amazing," she said.
"For me, it's not important if kids start to play tennis. It's important that they do any kind of sport, you know. It's very important, in my opinion. And hopefully this, will bring some more popularity, some more access for kids to play, and for now, you will have a lot of stars," Vekić added.
The WTA No. 72 ranked player shared her advice to young, aspiring tennis players.
"It's not an easy sport, it's not an easy life. But if you enjoy it and keep working hard, surround yourself with good people and never give up," she said.
"Just try to have fun. If they have fun, of course they will enjoy it and they will fall in love with it," Vekić shared.
VEKIC LOCKED IN
After an early exit in the Australian Open, Vekić is looking to play as many matches in as possible, to prepare her moving forward for the WTA Tour.
"It's not easy, of course, [the] disappointment of not being in Australia. But like I said, for me, it's important now to have matches, to build, to get some confidence, and I'm not at that level, and I can be back at my level before, and, you know, I hope that you can achieve that here," she said.
"I'm hoping to play my game, be aggressive, have a good first serve. It takes me a while to be a lot more consistent than, yeah, to dominate the court with my opponent," the Croatian added.
Vekić will first face Japan's Kyoka Okamura on January 27, Tuesday.