Lulu Sun could have become the new face of Swiss tennis. But the talented player has now advanced to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon under the New Zealand flag.
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- Lulu Sun is unstoppable at Wimbledon. The surprising qualifier with roots in Switzerland also eliminated the great British hope Emma Raducanu and sensationally reached the quarter-finals.
- The 23-year-old left-hander only switched nations in February and decided to play for the country of her birth in future. The daughter of a Croatian father and a Chinese mother grew up on Lake Geneva.
- After her three-set victory over the 2021 US Open winner, Sun will now face the unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic (WTA 37) and will move up to at least 50th in the world rankings.
Lulu Sun is thrilling at the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world - but unfortunately the 23-year-old has recently started competing for New Zealand and no longer for Switzerland.
The name gives it away. Lulu Sun is multicultural like something out of a picture book. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, to a Croatian father and a Chinese mother, she moved to Lake Geneva as a child. Her parents wanted the best possible education for her.
After a successful junior career, she initially concentrated on her studies, which she completed at the University of Texas in Austin in just two and a half years with a BA - majoring in International Relations, which is somehow logical for the multicultural globetrotter who speaks fluent English, French and Chinese.
"A recognition of my roots"
Since focusing solely on tennis, the Geneva native's sporting career has been on the up. She now has six tournament victories on the ITF Tour - the second-highest ranking for women. At the beginning of the year, Lulu Sun (pronounced Sunn, not the English word for sun) qualified for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open.
At the French Open, Sun already competed for the country where she spent the first five years of her life. However, the change of nation to the Kiwis is probably not just based on romantic feelings.
Sun is the clear number 1 in New Zealand, and the New Zealand association is also said to support her financially. Sun was perhaps also hoping that this would make it easier for her to qualify for the Olympics. However, her success came too late for that, as she was selected for the Olympics before Wimbledon.
She explained her decision on the Tennis New Zealand website. "Growing up in Switzerland, I have a love for both countries in my heart. Representing New Zealand is therefore more than just a professional decision for me, it is a recognition of my roots." Her grandparents still live in New Zealand and she often returns there to recharge her batteries.
In the last four weeks, however, Sun has stagnated a little. At her last two tournaments on grass, the left-hander got stuck once in qualifying and lost to the Swiss Susan Bandecchi (WTA 322).
Emotional interview goes around the world
So there was little to suggest that Sun, who started as a qualifier, would be able to write a - New Zealand - tennis fairytale at Wimbledon. But the world no. 123 managed her seventh win in a row (including qualifying) with her powerful game and also eliminated former US Open winner Emma Raducanu on Sunday. Sun has now sensationally reached the quarter-finals in London.
The 23-year-old, who is coached by Slovakian Vladimir Platenik, who also coached Belinda Bencic, has suddenly found herself in the international spotlight. Sun became emotional right at the start of the interview on Center Court and began to cry. "It was a great match," she said: "I don't know what to say. I'm just super happy to be playing here on the court. It's such a great experience for me." She has been inspired by successful professionals such as Roger Federer, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
Her next opponent is Donna Vekic from Croatia, who is certainly within reach. At least in the world rankings, she will make a big leap forward anyway and move up to at least 53rd place.
Sun finds it difficult to commit to a nation in her private life. "In the end, I haven't been anywhere for very long," she explained at the media conference. And therefore somehow feels at home everywhere. "I'm really happy that I have so many cultures and backgrounds, but I can't really choose one hundred percent," she said.
"From my Chinese mother I have discipline, my father comes from Croatia by the sea, from him I have a certain calmness and tranquillity. And from Switzerland, neutrality," she said with a laugh. After her father left the family, she also changed her name from Lulu Radovic to Lulu Sun.
That's why tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas was able to joke on X afterwards: "The only sun we've had this week is Lulu."
«The only sun we've had this week is Lulu.»
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