ITF Press Release, July 24, 2023
The Hopman Cup, the International Tennis Federation’s official mixed team competition, drew to a close this weekend with Croatia lifting the trophy for the first time since 1996 thanks to convincing singles victories for Donna Vekic and Borna Coric in the final.
Vekic and Coric were on inspired form all week at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club as Croatia navigated tricky battles with Belgium and Spain in the group stage to set up a winner-takes-all showdown with four-time champions Switzerland.
Once there, Vekic beat Celine Naef 6-3 6-4 before Coric clinched the title by outmanoeuvring Leandro Riedi. Earlier in the tournament, Riedi had beaten world No. 6 Holger Rune, 6-1 6-4.
“When we came here, we were both not playing our best tennis, and we had never played mixed doubles,” said Coric. “We were not sure how it was going to play out, but we were very happy that we were playing, and it was my pleasure to be here with Donna.”
Vekic added: “It was really a lot of fun playing with Borna. We have known each other for almost 20 years, and we’ve never played doubles before now. So far, we’re unbeaten!”
Both of Croatia’s group ties boiled down to doubles, where Vekic and Coric held their nerve to win tense match tiebreaks against Belgium’s Elise Mertens and David Goffin and Spanish duo Rebeka Masarova and Carlos Alcaraz.
World No. 1 Alcaraz had won both of his singles matches during the week to continue the stunning form which saw him conquer all before him at Wimbledon and claim his second Grand Slam title only days earlier.
Ultimately, however, Croatia were not to be denied and their victory evoked memories of 1996 when Goran Ivanisevic and Iva Majoli – this year’s tournament director – guided their nation to victory over a Swiss team featuring Martina Hingis and Marc Rosset.
Named after renowned Australian Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman, the Hopman Cup was founded in 1989 and was previously played in Perth, Australia. It has an illustrious history and has featured legends of the game such as Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Steffi Graf, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Boris Becker, Li Na and Andy Murray. Last week, following a four-year break, the tournament returned to the tennis calendar in stunning style in Nice.
The event was operated by Hopman Cup event promoter, Tennium. A total of six teams will compete in next year’s edition, expanding to eight from 2025 onwards. As hosts, France will field a team each year.
