When longtime tennis coach Mike Thomson began working with Canadian Marina Stakusic at the junior level, he immediately knew she had enormous potential.
The telltale sign was the sound the ball made when it hit his racket.
“Every time the contact was made in the middle of the racket, and that was the case with Marina when she was 8,” Thomson said. “She hit the ball solid every time. »
Now 18, Stakusic is in the midst of an exceptional performance this week in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Selected to everyone’s surprise for the singles, she won an unexpected 6-3, 6-1 victory over Spaniard Rebeka Masarova in her very first match on Wednesday.
“I think she behaved very well when she was under pressure, when her opponent was giving signs that she was going to come back into the match,” analyzed Sylvain Bruneau, high performance consultant for Tennis Canada. “I think she’s been fabulous in making sure that doesn’t happen. »
Originally from Mississauga, Stakusic developed his skills from a young age at the Eglinton Flats Winter Tennis Club. Thomson was director of tennis at this west Toronto club for more than two decades.
“Nothing bothered her,” Thomson said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press. “She never got angry on a tennis court. Tennis is such a mental game. You must always keep your cool. »
“Marina is always calm on the tennis court – always. From the age of 8. »
Stakusic performed like a seasoned player in front of a partisan crowd on Wednesday, showing no signs of nervousness on one of tennis’ biggest stages. Captain Heidi el Tabakh chose her ahead of Rebecca Marino and Eugenie Bouchard, more experienced teammates.
“We knew she was full of confidence,” Bruneau said. “She’s been doing really well recently. This is a factor to take into account. We also thought that she was young, on the rise, and that it would put a lot of pressure on her opponent’s shoulders to face her, and that’s exactly what happened. »
She started again on Thursday and earned a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Poland’s Magdalena Frech. Leylah Fernandez followed again with a singles victory to secure Canada’s place in the final four of the 12-team competition.
The Canadians were off Friday before Saturday’s semifinals. The final is due to take place on Sunday.
Stakusic has won three ITF tournaments this year since returning from an injury that kept her sidelined for six months. She is not afraid to be combative on the court and use her well-rounded game to her advantage.
“She has a lot of elements in her arsenal” illustrated Bruneau from Seville. “She has a great backhand cut, she is able to give angles to her shots, she is able to change the pace of the ball, which combined with her very heavy groundstrokes is very interesting.
“She loves going to the net, actually. She often advances to finish points, so she’s really good at the net. If you put it all together, she has a very complete game. »
Once the Billie Jean King Cup finals are over, Bruneau said he will join Stakusic at a Challenger tournament in Portugal. He added that after a little rest, she will split her off-season training between Montreal and Florida.
“I think she’ll become a very accomplished player,” he said. ” There is no doubt. »
Ranked 258th in the world, Stakusic has yet to play a main draw match on the WTA Tour. She reached the final round of qualifying for the National Bank Open last summer in Montreal.
Stakusic was named ITF Player of the Month for September.
“It’s a tennis coach’s dream to see someone like her hit a tennis ball,” Thomson said. “There’s not much you can teach someone like that. »