Vojislava Lukić


Vojislava Lukić is a retired Serbian tennis player.
Born and raised in Subotica, she achieved her highest WTA rankings as world No. 203 in singles on 20 August 2007, and No. 223 in doubles on 8 October 2007. Lukić won eight ITF titles in singles and five in doubles. She also played for Serbia Fed Cup team in 2007, alongside Jelena Janković, Ana Jovanović and Ana Timotić.
In 2008, after an ITF tournament in Alphen aan den Rijn, Lukić temporarily withdrew from professional tennis. 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. 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.
Other than her native Serbian language, she speaks English, German, French and Romanian.

Tennis career

Lukić started playing tennis aged eight and was coached by Eduard Pană. She is former European U–14 champion and world No. 8 in junior concurrence. 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.
Lukić turned professional in 2004, and reached her first ITF doubles final in 2005. 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, and three doubles titles. She also made her only appearances at both WTA Tour and Grand Slam tournaments 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.
Lukić was also member 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 0–6, 2–6.
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. In December 2009, Lukić played doubles at the ITF tournament in Dubai partnering with Bojana Jovanovski. They lost 4–6, 2–6 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 summer 2014, Lukić made a comeback after nearly a two-year absence, playing in the $10,000 tournament in Sharm El Sheikh where she lost her first-round match to eventual finalist Jan Abaza 2–6, 1–6. 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. In August, she won her first ITF doubles title 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, 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.
In 2016, after her retirement from tennis, Lukić has been named National Coach of the British Virgin Islands.

Other work and endeavours

In early 2009, Lukić did a cover spread for the February 2009 issue of the FHM magazine in Serbia. 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.
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.

ITF finals

Singles (8–8)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Winner1.21 May 2006Pitești, RomaniaClay Amina Rakhim7–6, 5–7, 6–4
Winner2.18 June 2006Mediaș, RomaniaClay Diana-Andreea Gae6–3, 6–1
Runner-up1.2 July 2006Galați, RomaniaClay Anamaria-Alexandra Sere2–6, 6–7
Winner3.23 July 2006Bucharest, RomaniaClay Elisa Peth6–1, 6–0
Winner4.13 May 2007Antalya, TurkeyHard Anastasija Sevastova6–3, 7–6
Winner5.17 June 2012Bethany Beach, United StatesClay Sanaz Marand6–2, 7–5
Winner6.24 June 2012Williamsburg, United StatesClay Caroline Doyle6–1, 6–3
Runner-up2.22 July 2012Darmstadt, GermanyClay Anna Karolína Schmiedlová1–6, 2–6
Runner-up3.10 August 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Valeriya Strakhova4–6, 1–6
Runner-up4.7 September 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Anna Morgina7–6, 4–6, 3–6
Winner7.14 September 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Anna Morgina6–4, 6–3
Runner-up5.12 October 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Nuria Parrizas Diaz4–6, 3–6
Winner8.23 November 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Nina Stojanović7–6, 6–7, 6–3
Runner-up6.14 December 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Klaartje Liebens7–6, 2–6, 4–6
Runner-up7.9 May 2015Obregón, MexicoHard Marcela Zacarías4–6, 7–5, 1–2 ret.
Runner-up8.7 June 2015Ariake, JapanHard Risa Ushijima3–6, 4–6

Doubles (5–5)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Runner-up1.22 May 2005Pitești, RomaniaClay Andrea Popović Mădălina Gojnea
Monica Niculescu
4–6, 3–6
Runner-up2.26 March 2006Mansourah, EgyptClay Laura-Ioana Andrei Kateryna Avdiyenko
Iryna Brémond
2–6, 1–6
Runner-up3.2 April 2006Cairo, EgyptClay Laura-Ioana Andrei Galina Fokina
Raissa Gourevitch
6–7, 7–5, 4–6
Runner-up4.23 March 2007Rome, ItalyClay Alexandra Dulgheru7–5, 1–6, 2–6
Winner1.6 May 2007Antalya, TurkeyHard Oksana Kalashnikova
Sofia Kvatsabaia
2–6, 6–2, 6–3
Winner2.1 July 2007Bucharest, RomaniaClay Julia Görges Laura-Ioana Andrei
Mădălina Gojnea
6–2, 6–4
Winner3.Batumi, GeorgiaHard Mihaela Buzărnescu Vasilisa Davydova
Marina Shamayko
6–2, 6–4
Runner-up5.7 September 2008Alphen aan den Rijn, NetherlandsClay Darija Jurak Florencia Molinero
Lesia Tsurenko
6–4, 5–7,
Winner4.9 August 2014Sharm El Sheikh, EgyptHard Haine Ogata Harriet Dart
Claudia Williams
6–4, 6–2
Winner5.27 March 2015Bangkok, ThailandHard Jang Su-jeong Chanel Simmonds
Emily Webley-Smith
6–4, 6–4

Fed Cup participation

Singles

Doubles