ITF Class of 2022: Petra Marcinko | ITF
Article 06 Dec 2022

ITF Class of 2022: Petra Marcinko

Ross McLean

06 Dec 2022

The ITF’s ‘Class of…’ series recognises and celebrates players who have had a successful year on the ITF World Tennis Tour, identifying the year’s most promising and breakthrough talents, and those predicted to go on to bigger and better things next year

If Croatia’s Petra Marcinko could bottle a year, then 2022 may well be it after the teenager enjoyed an exhilarating and memorable campaign which lays hugely promising foundations for another blockbuster next term.

Looking from the outside, there has not been one defining moment, rather a series of highlights that have illuminated a blistering 12 months and propelled the 17-year-old into the ITF’s season-ending Class of 2022.

The ITF’s Class of 2022 recognises and celebrates players who have had successful years on the ITF World Tennis Tour, identifying the year’s most promising talents and those predicted to go on to bigger things in 2023.

Zagreb-born Marcinko fits the bill and then some, and perhaps there is no other player out there who better reflects the importance of the ITF player pathway following a season of significant growth and development.

There have also been numerous career firsts: topping the podium at a Junior Grand Slam; her Billie Jean King Cup debut; a maiden professional title and a WTA main draw debut.

By the way, Marcinko was not content with just one ITF World Tennis Tour crown and has boosted her trophy tally to three, including W80 Poitiers – the biggest accolade of her career to date – in October.

Such stellar performances have contributed to her rising a whopping 738 places to a career-high No. 188 in the WTA Rankings, while she is now set fair for an assault on the Top 100 in the coming months.

“It means a lot to be included within the ITF’s Class of 2022 because I worked very hard this year and getting chosen is a great reward – thanks ITF,” Marcinko told itftennis.com.

“It was an amazing feeling to win my first ITF World Tennis Tour titles, especially W80 Poitiers, because this was way above the expectations I had at the beginning of the season.

“I’m really satisfied with my 2022 season and I’m trying to improve my game day by day. That’s my ambition, to keep improving my game as much as possible.”

Marcinko set the tone for the year at her very first event back in January when she claimed her maiden Junior Grand Slam title after being crowned Australian Open girls’ champion in Melbourne. She described her triumph as “a moment and memory that will last forever”.

The Junior Grand Slam gong will be forever etched on her career CV, elevating her time in junior tennis to a new level and granting her access to an exclusive list of junior podium-toppers that contains a host of stellar names.

“It is something that I will remember forever,” said Marcinko, who was supported at the Australian Open by the late Kristijan Schneider, who sadly passed away in April following a battle with cancer. 

“Winning the Australia Open girls’ title was definitely my favourite and best moment of 2022. It means so much to have a Junior Grand Slam title and it improved my confidence and my awareness of my abilities.”

While this was the crowning glory, her junior career had already been successful. After all, she had finished 2021 as an ITF World Champion having secured the much-coveted junior world No. 1 spot following a blistering end to the campaign.

This booked her place at June’s prestigious ITF World Champions Awards in Paris where Marcinko rubbed shoulders with the wider tennis family and grandees of the sport, providing significant inspiration and motivation for the second half of the season.

By then, Marcinko was already making a name for herself and her potential was reflected in her being one of 44 players awarded financial assistance through an ITF-administered Grand Slam Player Development Programme grant in 2022.

She received $25,000 as a contribution towards her competition-related costs, with the overriding aim being her tennis development and ability to compete at Grand Slam tournaments.

Such backing of Marcinko was already well founded and further evidence of her pedigree was witnessed March as she claimed back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour titles – her first professional events of the season – at W25 Antalya.

A month later, the ever-improving Marcinko enhanced her burgeoning reputation further by making her Billie Jean King Cup debut for Croatia during a series of Group I Europe/Africa showdowns.

She represented her nation with pride and distinction, going undefeated in singles before adding another scalp during November’s Play-offs clash with Germany in Rijeka to end the year with a 5-2 win-loss record in the competition.

“This was yet another experience which meant so much as I was so proud to get the chance to play for my country,” added Marcinko. “One of my main goals is to win the Billie Jean King Cup for Croatia in the next few years.”

Perhaps the most important staging post of her year arrived in October when Marcinko triumphed at W80 Poitiers to become the youngest player in four years to win an ITF World Tennis Tour title at W80 level or above.

With the ITF World Tennis Tour being the main artery for emerging talent to progress to the WTA Tour, Marcinko’s year, especially considering her age, suggests her career trajectory is positive and most certainly on an upward curve.

Marcinko is talented, hardworking and determined, just like her idol, Croatian basketball player Drazen Petrovic, who she holds in extremely high esteem and considers a timeless role model for aspiring Croatian sportsmen and women.  

“Even though he passed away almost 30 years ago, he’s still the most popular sportsman in Croatia,” said Marcinko.

“Since I was little, my dad has been giving him as an example to follow and look up to because of his dedication and hard work. He was really someone special.”

In short, it may well be worth keeping tabs on Marcinko in the coming weeks, months and years. She would appear to have all the credentials for a stunningly bright and prosperous future. 

Coach's view: Alan Maric

“I am really happy with how this season went. I think Petra improved a lot, mentally and physically. She worked very hard and that was the base of everything.

"We are now doing pre-season before Australia where we are trying to work on every aspect of her game, but mostly focused on her fitness development.

"She has plenty of room to develop and improve her tennis skills, which makes me even more conviced that she might become a great player one day."

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