Marina Erakovic spent a decade ranked inside the world's top 100 tennis players. She competed in 36 Grand Slams, reached a career-high ranking of 39, and won 9 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and 18 ITF (International Tennis Federation) titles.
Marina represented New Zealand at two Olympic Games and one Commonwealth Games, and played more than 600 main draw singles matches, including 44 at Grand Slam level.
In this conversation, Kaila and Marina explore:
- her family's immigration story,
- what it's really like trying to make it in a massive global sport when New Zealand has almost no support or infrastructure,
- the sacrifices that made her career possible, and the pressure that came along with those sacrifices, and,
- why tennis was the right fit for her — how it matched the way her brain works, why it lit her up, and how, over time, she learned to grow not just as an athlete, but as a person.
A huge thanks to Celebrity Speakers for supporting this episode. If you want to book Marina for a keynote and leave your audience buzzing, visit celebrityspeakers.co.nz.
Hunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.
The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read. You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.
The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience. It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere.
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