Vojislava Lukić

Vojislava Lukić
Војислава Лукић

Lukić at 2015 Fed Cup
Country (sports)	Serbia
Residence	Subotica, Serbia
Born	(1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 Subotica, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia)
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro	2004
Retired	2008; 2012; 2015 Comeback in 2012; Second comeback in 2014
Plays	Right–handed (two–handed backhand)
Prize money	$63,811
Singles
Career record	179–98
Career titles	8 ITF
Highest ranking	203 (20 August 2007)
Current ranking	433 (15 December 2014)
Grand Slam Singles results
US Open	Q1 (2007)
Doubles
Career record	60–49
Career titles	4 ITF
Highest ranking	223 (8 October 2007)
Current ranking	929 (15 December 2014)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	2–2
Last updated on: 15 December 2014.

Vojislava Lukić (Serbian Cyrillic: Војислава Лукић; born 31 March 1987) is a professional Serbian tennis player. Born and raised in Subotica, she achieved her highest career ranking as world number 203 in singles on 20 August 2007, and world number 223 in doubles on 8 October 2007.^[1] As of 15 December 2014, Lukić is ranked world number 433 in singles. Lukić has so far won eight ITF titles in singles and four in doubles. She also played for Serbia Fed Cup team in 2007, alongside Jelena Janković, Ana Jovanović and Ana Timotić.^[2]

In 2008, after an ITF tournament in Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands, Lukić temporarily withdrew from professional tennis.^[3] Although she played doubles at the ITF tournament in Dubai in 2009 partnering with Bojana Jovanovski, she did not make a full comeback until 2012. In the meantime, Lukić founded her own tennis school for girls and worked as a television presenter and model.

Family and early life

Lukić was born to Momčilo and Sonja Lukić in Subotica, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia), on 31 March 1987. She has one sister, Milka. Lukić trained gymnastics as a child, and was very successful in pioneer age group, but dropped her gymnastic pursuit for tennis.^[4]

Professional tennis career

Lukić, who started playing tennis aged eight,^[5] was coached by Eduard Pană. She is former European U–14 champion and World No. 8 in junior concurrence.^[6] One of her greatest junior achievements were the quarterfinals of the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, several Orange Bowl appearances, and wins over players such as Lucie Šafářová, Alla Kudryavtseva, Kateryna Bondarenko, Olga Govortsova and Monica Niculescu.^[7]

Lukić turned professional in 2004, and reached her first ITF doubles final in 2005. In 2006, she won three ITF singles titles in 2006, all in Romania – in Piteşti, Medias and Bucharest, and made two final appearances in doubles. The following year, Lukić collected her fourth ITF title in Attaleia, Turkey, beating Anastasija Sevastova 6–3, 7–6(3), and three doubles titles. She also made her only appearances at both WTA Tour and Grand Slam at, respectively, the 2007 Istanbul Cup and the 2007 US Open. In Istanbul, she lost in the first qualification round 6–2, 6–3, 5–7 to Urszula Radwańska, while at the US Open she was defeated by Galina Voskoboeva 6–4, 6–1, also in the first qualification round.^[8]

Lukić was also one of four members of Serbia Fed Cup team in 2007, alongside Jelena Janković, Ana Jovanović and Ana Timotić, in a 2007 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Group I C match against Estonia. She won her singles match against Anett Schutting 6–1, 6–2, and her doubles match against Schutting and Margit Rüütel, partnering Timotić. She then lost her singles match versus Johanna Larsson in the round robin versus Sweden. In the quarterfinals of World Group II Playoffs, Lukić lost to former World No. 5 player Daniela Hantuchová 6–0, 6–2.

In 2008, Lukić stated she had lost the faith in her game, and announced retirement. She began working as a host of Total Tennis, the RTS television program about tennis, and opened her own tennis school for girls.^[9] In December 2009, Lukić played doubles at the ITF tournament in Dubai partnering with Bojana Jovanovski. They lost 6–4, 6–2, to Julia Görges and Oksana Kalashnikova in the second round.

Due to her return to amateur status, Lukić met the playing criteria of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and began playing for the women's tennis team of the Barry University. However, she left the team shortly after and resumed her professional career after three years. Lukić qualified for the ITF tournament in Sumter, South Carolina, but lost in the second round of the main draw. Following a first–round loss at the ITF event in El Paso, Texas, she won the tournament in Bethany Beach, Delaware, by defeating Sanaz Marand 6–2, 7–5. At the ITF event in Williamsburg, Virginia, Lukić won her sixth career title by beating Caroline Doyle 6–1, 6–3.

In 2014, Lukić made a comeback after nearly a two-year absence, playing in the $10,000 ITF tournament in Sharm el-Sheikh (30 June – 6 July), where she lost her first round match to eventual finalist Jan Abaza 6–2, 6–1. She decided in agreement with her new coach, Mohamed El Ghazawy, that she would train and play in Sharm el-Sheikh until the end of the year, with plans to play outside of Egypt next year.^[10] In August, she won her first ITF doubles title (partnering Haine Ogata) in almost seven years and reached her first ITF singles final in more than two years, losing 4–6, 1–6 to Valeriya Strakhova. Following another final in early September, where she lost 7–6(2), 4–6, 3–6 to Anna Morgina, Lukić again faced Morgina in a finals rematch in the next tournament. This time Lukić won 6–4, 6–3 for her first singles title since making a comeback.

Other work and endeavours

In early 2009, Lukić did a cover spread for the February 2009 issue of the FHM magazine in Serbia.^[11] During her temporary retirement, it was speculated that Lukić had her eyes on acting career and that she was aided by former Hollywood star Don Johnson.^[12][13]

During her retirement, from 2008 to 2012, Lukić worked as a presenter of Total Tennis, a tennis–related television programme airing on the Radio Television of Serbia, and founded her own tennis school for girls.^[9]

Personal life

She was in a relationship with Zoran Ćopić, controversial Republika Srpska businessman and 21 years her senior.^[14] A source close to Republika Srpska (RS) judiciary revealed that Lukić visited Ćopić while he was in custody on charges of money laundering schemes as one of the collaborators of Montenegrin mob boss Darko Šarić.^[15] In 2011, she married Fabrizio Besnati.^[16]

Other than her native Serbian language, she speaks English, German, French and Romanian.^[17]

ITF finals (13–13)

Singles (8–8)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	21 May 2006	Pitești, Romania	Clay	Amina Rakhim	7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–4
Winner	2.	18 June 2006	Mediaș, Romania	Clay	Diana-Andreea Gae	6–3, 6–1
Runner–up	1.	2 July 2006	Galați, Romania	Clay	Anamaria-Alexandra Sere	2–6, 6–7(5–7)
Winner	3.	23 July 2006	Bucharest, Romania	Clay	Elisa Peth	6–1, 6–0
Winner	4.	13 May 2007	Antalya, Turkey	Hard	Anastasija Sevastova	6–3, 7–6(7–3)
Winner	5.	17 June 2012	Bethany Beach, United States	Clay	Sanaz Marand	6–2, 7–5
Winner	6.	24 June 2012	Williamsburg, United States	Clay	Caroline Doyle	6–1, 6–3
Runner–up	2.	22 July 2012	Darmstadt, Germany	Clay	Anna Karolína Schmiedlová	1–6, 2–6
Runner–up	3.	10 August 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Valeriya Strakhova	4–6, 1–6
Runner–up	4.	7 September 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Anna Morgina	7–6(7–2), 4–6, 3–6
Winner	7.	14 September 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Anna Morgina	6–4, 6–3
Runner–up	5.	12 October 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Nuria Parrizas Diaz	4–6, 3–6
Winner	8.	23 November 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Nina Stojanović	7–6(7–5), 6–7(3–7), 6–3
Runner–up	6.	14 December 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Klaartje Liebens	7–6(7–3), 2–6, 4–6
Runner–up	7.	4 May 2015	Obregon, Mexico	Hard	Marcela Zacarías	4–6, 7–5, 1–2 retired
Runner–up	8.	7 June 2015	Ariake, Japan	Hard	Risa Ushijima	3–6, 4–6

Doubles (5–5)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runners-up	1.	22 May 2005	Pitești, Romania	Clay	Andrea Popović	Mădălina Gojnea Monica Niculescu	4–6, 3–6
Runners-up	2.	26 March 2006	Mansourah, Egypt	Clay	Laura-Ioana Andrei	Kateryna Avdiyenko Iryna Brémond	2–6, 1–6
Runners-up	3.	2 April 2006	Cairo, Egypt	Clay	Laura-Ioana Andrei	Galina Fokina Raissa Gourevitch	6–7(2–7), 7–5, 4–6
Runners-up	4.	23 March 2007	Rome, Italy	Clay	Alexandra Dulgheru	Giulia Gatto-Monticone Darya Kustova	7–5, 1–6, 2–6
Winners	1.	6 May 2007	Antalya, Turkey	Hard	Dessislava Mladenova	Oksana Kalashnikova Sofia Kvatsabaia	2–6, 6–2, 6–3
Winners	2.	1 July 2007	Bucharest, Romania	Clay	Julia Görges	Laura-Ioana Andrei Mădălina Gojnea	6–2, 6–4
Winners	3.	30 September 2007	Batumi, Georgia	Hard	Mihaela Buzărnescu	Vasilisa Davydova Marina Shamayko	6–2, 6–4
Runners-up	5.	7 September 2008	Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands	Clay	Darija Jurak	Florencia Molinero Lesia Tsurenko	6–4, 5–7, [7–10]
Winners	4.	9 August 2014	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Hard	Haine Ogata	Harriet Dart Claudia Williams	6–4, 6–2
Winners	5.	28 March 2015	Bangkok, Thailand	Hard	Jang Su-jeong	Chanel Simmonds Emily Webley-Smith	6-4, 6-4

Fed Cup participation

Singles

Edition	Stage	Date	Location	Against	Surface	Opponent	W/L	Score
2007	Europe/Africa Zone	18 April 2007	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	Estonia	Clay	Anett Schutting	W	6–1, 6–2
	Europe/Africa Zone	19 April 2007		Sweden	Clay	Johanna Larsson	L	6–2, 4–6, 5–7
	2007 Fed Cup	15 July 2007	Kosice, Slovakia	Slovakia	Hard (i)	Daniela Hantuchová	L	0–6, 2–6

Doubles

Edition	Round	Date	Location	Against	Surface	Partner	Opponents	W/L	Score
2007 Fed Cup	Europe/Africa Zone	18 April 2007	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	Estonia	Clay	Ana Timotić	Anett Schutting Margit Rüütel	W	6–2, 5–7, 6–3

See also

• Serbia Fed Cup team

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vojislava Lukić.

• Vojislava Lukić at the Women's Tennis Association
• Vojislava Lukić at the International Tennis Federation
• Vojislava Lukić at the Fed Cup