Donna Vekić is a proven grass player whose serve and flat hitting have produced a Wimbledon semi-final and two grass titles, but her results on the surface rise and fall sharply within a single summer. She finished 2026 24th in the women’s GTC Grass Rankings with a rating of 100, down from 19th.
Grass at a glance
- GTC Grass Rating: 100, 24th in the women’s rankings (19th before the season)
- Pillars: Lawn Form 42, Arsenal 67, Wimbledon 48, Nerve 42
- Nationality: Croatia
- Best Wimbledon result: Semi-final (2024)
- Grass titles: Nottingham 2017, Queen’s 2026
- Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand
How Donna plays on grass
Vekić’s grass game is built on the serve and the first ball. She serves with good pace and accuracy, and on a low bounce that earns her short points and a chance to step in with a flat forehand or backhand. Her backhand down the line is particularly effective on grass because it stays low and moves away from right-handed opponents. When she is timing the ball well she can take the racket out of an opponent’s hands within a few shots, which is why her Arsenal pillar stands at 67.
The weaknesses are movement under pressure and consistency. If the first strike is neutralised, she is less comfortable defending low balls on the run, and her error count rises when rallies lengthen. Her Nerve score of 42 reflects how quickly matches can turn against her: she has won big contests, including the 2024 Wimbledon quarter-final, but has also lost several tight early-round matches from winning positions.
Grass record
Her first grass title came in Nottingham in 2017, and she reached the Nottingham final again in 2019, losing to Caroline Garcia. At Wimbledon she reached the fourth round in 2018 and the third round in 2023. Her best run came in 2024, when she reached the semi-finals and lost to Jasmine Paolini in the longest women’s singles semi-final in Wimbledon history. Later that summer she was runner-up in Bad Homburg to Diana Shnaider. In 2025 she lost in the second round at Wimbledon.
The 2026 grass season
Queen’s gave her the best week of her career. Entering the main draw as a lucky loser, she beat Mika Stojsavljević 6-2, 6-3, Marie Bouzková 7-6(9), 6-3, Karolina Plíšková 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3, then beat Emma Raducanu 6-0, 7-6(6) in the final. It was her first WTA 500 title and the fifth title of her career, her first since 2023. Her rating rose from 105 to 110.
The rest of the swing went the other way. In Berlin she lost her opening match 5-7, 4-6 to Alex Eala, slipping to 109. At Wimbledon, seeded 31st, she won the first set against the qualifier Ashlyn Krueger but lost 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6 in the first round. That result took her rating from 109 to 100.
Looking ahead to 2027
Vekić’s 2027 rating will depend heavily on Queen’s, where she has a title to defend, and on whether she can carry that kind of form into Wimbledon. The pattern to break is a strong week followed by early exits; a lighter schedule between Queen’s and Wimbledon may help her arrive fresher. Technically, more variety on return and a more patient approach in longer rallies would cut the number of matches she loses from in front. A realistic target is the second week at Wimbledon, which would return her to the GTC top 20.
