David Felgate, the coach of 16-year-old Donna Vekic who reached the finals of Birmingham, says that his student has much work to do before she becomes a great player. Felgate once coached Tim Henman.
"The aspirations of the family are to go to the top, and she may say she wants to win a Slam," Felgate told AFP. "I am happy with that but it's all about what she does now. I can say she is outstanding in her heart and her head. She likes coming to the net, but she's not good enough to do that all the time. I can tell you she has a big forehand and will have a big serve, and that she is working on her movement. She needs to move better. It's great that there's this success but really it's all about what she tries to do now and how she keeps practicing."
Felgate added that comparison between the tall blonde Vekic and Maria Sharapova, who at the age of 17 won the 2004 Birmingham title and then Wimbledon, is premature. Vekic is the youngest player in the Top 100 at No. 64.
“Sharapova's birthday is a few months before Donna's,” he said. “Donna will be 17 at Wimbledon, so if Donna is to be compared with Sharapova she has to be winning Wimbledon this time, not next year. And in my wildest dreams I can't see that. I will just be happy if she wins a round at Wimbledon.”