Rising Canadian star Stakusic creates special memory in hometown debut

As she prepared for her main draw debut at the National Bank Open, Marina Stakusic reflected on her experiences as a fan in Toronto. 

"I used to come here all the time, pretty much every year since I was like six, seven years old," the 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont. said. "I remember getting two of Novak Djokovic's racquets when he won in 2012. That was, like, the coolest thing ever for me and my siblings. He just tossed them up after he won."

Stakusic had been tracking the Serbian star all week.  

"We were coming to all his practices," Stakusic recalled with a big smile. "He recognized us because we were going all out." 

"Because Serbians are loud," coach Rob Steckley chimed in with a smile. "That's all she talks about is Novak."  

Stakusic's dad grew up in Montenegro before immigrating to Canada. Her mom's parents are from Serbia. 

"We didn't ask," Stakusic responded to Steckley. "He just gave."

The racquets remain in the basement of the family home. She has never hit a ball with them.  

"I don't dare break the strings," said Stakusic, who delayed her pre-tournament news conference by a few minutes on Sunday in order to watch Djokovic win gold at the Olympics. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Stakusic created another special memory in Toronto. A wildcard entry who is ranked No. 160 in the world, Stakusic rallied to defeat qualifier Erika Andreeva 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 47 minutes. 

"It was really nice today to, especially after I got the win, see everybody cheering," she said. "It was amazing just to have the support from everybody and to be in that position today."

Stakusic overcame a break deficit twice early in the first set before serving for it at 5-4. She couldn't convert, though, and dropped the opener in a tiebreak. Both players then left the court for a washroom break. Stakusic returned first and was able to get a pep talk from Steckley. 

"He was just kind of telling me to think of it as a practice and just work on the things that we were working on leading up to this tournament," Stakusic revealed. "He told me to just trust my shots and believe that I can do it."

In the third set, Stakusic led by a break twice only to see Andreeva, ranked No. 88, fight back. Stakusic earned a third break to go up 5-4 and served out the match, much to the delight of the fans at Sobeys Stadium. 

Like her childhood idol Djokovic has done countless times, Stakusic held her nerve when it mattered most to record her first win at the Masters 1,000 level. 

"I was just trying to tell myself to keep fighting, to keep pushing, and make the most of this opportunity that I got," she said of the rollercoaster match. 

Stakusic required a medical timeout for a right calf injury in the third set.  

"I'm feeling okay now," she said. "I still haven't gone to the physio. I had to shower, eat, and stuff (laugh), so I'm going to see how it is. I didn't have much time to go and check it out after the match."

Stakusic later withdrew from the doubles event. She had been scheduled to play alongside fellow Canadian Rebecca Marino on Wednesday evening.

Last year at this time, Stakusic was ranked 412th. With Wednesday's win, she's up to No. 143 live rankings, which would be a new career high. 

"There's no ceiling to this type of project," said Steckley, who coached Lucie Safarova to the French Open final in 2015. "You can see month after month things progressing. It comes from her ability to be coached ... It's such a refreshing thing to come across someone like that with talent, work ethic, and just all ears. The potential is endless. I really believe in her." 

Stakusic is already building a reputation as a clutch performer. During Canada's run to the Billie Jean King Cup title last year, she defeated three top-60 players, including No. 42 Martina Trevisan of Italy in the finals. She qualified for her first career Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon earlier this summer. 

But there's nothing quite like playing at home for the first time. 

"It's all new to her so there's really nothing you can do to be prepared for what's to come," Steckley admitted before the match. 

Stakusic insisted that she enjoyed "a great night's sleep" on Tuesday night and woke up feeling refreshed. 

"I'm a little bit nervous just like any other tournament, but I think this week I'm way more excited just because it's at home," she said. 

Stakusic will face American Taylor Townsend, a lucky loser, in the second round on Thursday. Townsend, ranked No. 71, lost to Andreeva in the final round of qualifying, but got into the main draw as an injury replacement.  

"The only thing I know is that she's a lefty," Stakusic said. "I don't know anything else about her (laughing). That's a question for Rob, probably. But, yeah, I know she's going to be a great, a tough opponent, and anybody here is good, so it's definitely going to be another battle."

Townsend advanced to the second round after No. 16 seed Dayana Yastremska retired from their match on Monday due to a shoulder injury. Townsend led 6-3, 3-1 when Yastremska retired.