Who Is Stan Wawrinka’s Girlfriend?

Welcome to the spotlight Donna Vekic.

The up-and-coming Croatian tennis star has recently been linked to standout Stan Wawrinka, currently the No. 4 seed in this year’s Australian Open, and while Vekic may be focused on her own career, there are plenty out there who are interested in her off-court status as well.

In fact, Vekic may be best known for the tennis love triangle that took place in the summer of 2015. Australian star Nick Kyrgios reportedly taunted Wawrinka, 30, for his relationship with Vekic during a second-round match at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

According to the New York Post, Kyrgios told Wawrinka, “(Thanasi) Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that, mate.” Kokkinakis, an Australian, who was ranked 76th in the world at the time, was mixed doubles partners with Vekic.

Although Kyrgios issued an apology, Wawrinka vented his frustrations on Twitter, posting:

Of course, this doesn’t exactly answer the question of who Vekic is. The 20-year-old, who turned pro in 2012, is coached by David Felgate and, per WTA tennis, describes herself as “strong-willed, determined and extremely competitive.”

She and Felgate reestablished their on-court partnership earlier this year, looking to jumpstart her 2016 performance. The pair had parted ways just 18 months earlier following Wimbledon.

Vekic has one singles title on the WTA tour and reached her best singles ranking in July 2013 at No. 62. She reached the third round of the French Open in 2015.

Throughout her time on the court in 2015, she was consistently asked to discuss the Kyrgios incident and despite her brush-offs, the Croation star still commented several times during the US Open. She told a Canadian newspaper, The Province, “It’s not easy, but I’m trying to focus on tennis and my next match.”

She also spoke with the New York Post following her first-round US Open Qualifying match. “He didn’t get suspended,” she said. “It’s ridiculous. No more comment on this.”

Vekic fell to 18-year-old Naomi Osaka in the first round of the Australian Open this year.

Wawrinka was previously married to TV presenter Ilham Vuilloud from 2009 to 2015. The pair had split in 2010 as well before reconciling and, ultimately, calling it quits in 2015. It was not a particularly pretty separation with Vuilloud releasing her own statement at one point:

No, trips and tournaments are not the cause of our separation. Besides, other players, ranked higher than him, handle family life very well. His instability, desire to regain his freedom—at all levels—are the source. And I have to admit the repeated fibs and emotional betrayals eventually destroyed entirely the confidence I had in him.

Vuilloud, who has one daughter, Alexia, with Wawrinka, also chastised her ex-husband’s version of the events and called into question the timing with his then-recent losses in early rounds.

 

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