Luka Gregorc Shows Aggressive Style in South Florida Tennis Tournament

By North American correspondent for Ekipa, Dr. Mitch Smith

Delray Beach, Florida - “I didn’t want to leave anything on the court. I might lose, but it would be by going all out – even if I made 60 unforced errors. I didn’t want to be out there just getting the ball back in.”

Luka Gregorc

That was what Lindsay Davenport said when she won the women’s draw at the U.S. Open back in 1998.

The same spirit might seem to apply to Luka Gregorc, who competed last week at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.

In a hard-fought first round qualifying match against American Eric Nunez, and despite some lapses in the quality of his game, Gregorc never let up, never lost his aggressive edge.

Gregorc’s strong serve helped him to a lead after the first set, winning six games to three.

When the third set also went to a tie-break, there was a point at which the match was in peril, when Nunez had the lead at 5-4. However, his aggressive style held out as Gregorc took the next three points to close the match 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5).

“It was a tough match,” Gregorc admitted afterwards, adding “but I always believe I can win. I just remind myself that it’s not over till it’s over … and try to remember not to take anything for granted.”

“I think Luka got a little nervous and got thrown off his game a little bit,” said his coach, Marcos Ondruska, afterwards. “He’s still gaining experience, and there’s some adversity he encounters that throws him off, but the more he faces tough situations the better he will get.”

Though a fierce competitor whose “edge” includes a modified Mohawk-style haircut, Gregorc showed a notable sense of class and sportsmanship when coming up short against his opponent’s drop shot in the first game of the second set. “Nice shot,” he called out after failing to get to the net in time to return the shot.

Following the win, Gregorc, a member of the Slovenian Davis Cup team, advanced to second-round qualifying play, where he fell to Giovanni Lapentti 6-2, 6-4.

Overall, Ondruska, a former player who was ranked no. 27 at the peak of his own career, felt pleased with Gregorc’s play. “He needs to continue to focus on executing. Despite some ups and downs, he knows what he has to do and how to go about it. Four years ago he was ranked no. 850 and now he’s up to no. 217. I would say we’ve definitely met or exceeded our goals for the past year, and look to continue his progress this year.”

In all, 32 players faced off in qualifying play in the hardcourt event to earn four spots in the 32-man main draw with a total purse of $500,000. The eventual winner will take home some $80,000 in prize money.

Kek: Fearless Slovenia’s biggest test

England may have underperformed at South Africa 2010, but Matjaz Kek is adamant. “I don’t care how they played in the first two matches. I believe we’re facing the toughest match for Slovenia under my management.”

Luka Gregorc Shows Aggressive Style in South Florida Tennis Tournament

By North American correspondent for Ekipa, Dr. Mitch Smith

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