United Cup: Croatia announced as final team for Perth, headlined by Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic

Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic cannot wait to begin her 2025 campaign in Perth after Croatia were announced as the final team to grace RAC Arena for the United Cup. Croatia have been confirmed as the final team in Group A alongside the USA and Canada for this year’s Perth side of the United Cup draw. Vekic, who claimed silver in Paris shortly after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals this year, is the headline name on the Croatian team, with former men’s world number 12 Borna Coric also part of the travelling side. It means Vekic will begin her United Cup campaign against Canadian world number 32 Leylah Fernandez on December 28, before facing world number three Coco Gauff when Croatia meet the US on New Year’s Eve. “It’s always a little bit tricky, but I think there’s no better preparation for Australian Open than starting the year against the top players,” Vekic told The West Australian. Vekic has form against Gauff, having beaten the American star in straight sets en route to the Olympic final at Roland Garros. “That was a really tough match. She was playing really well, we were playing on clay as well, which is not maybe my best service, but it turned out pretty okay,” Vekic said. “She’s a great player, she had an incredible season and this will be a tough match.” Vekic is no stranger to Perth, having won both her singles matches at RAC Arena when Croatia played there during the 2023 United Cup, and she had fond memories of her last trip out west. “We played in Perth two years ago, and it was amazing, so I’m really looking forward to going back,” she said. “There’s a lot of Croatians in Perth, so the support was great, and the arena is just amazing. “I’ve been a fan of the United Cup since the beginning, and it’s something completely different to what we have throughout the year. “Especially to start the year, to have a couple of matches, and have that team spirit, it’s great. I wish we had more events like that during the year.” After ending 2021 and 2022 outside the top 60, Vekic has spent the past two years re-capturing the form which helped her break into the top 20 towards the tail-end of 2019. Having overcome the aftereffects of a serious knee injury in her rise back to her best tennis, Vekic said it was still hard to wrap her head around her achievements this year, which included a fourth round spot at the US Open in addition to her Olympic and Wimbledon feats. “I’m still trying to reflect and summarise everything. The last couple of months since Wimbledon, it’s been a lot,” she said. “It’s been hectic, and I feel like I really didn’t have time until now to slow down and look what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done. “It’s been a great year for me and I’m really proud of everything that me and my team have accomplished, and hopefully it’s just going to be a push for bigger things next year.”