Matija Pecotic is perhaps one of the best examples of why you should never give up on your dreams.
The 33-year-old Croatian qualifier has sent shockwaves through the draw at the Delray Beach Open by knocking out Jack Sock 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round. A former world No.8 player who won the tournament back in 2017. Pecotic’s triumph has earned him his first-ever main draw win on the Tour. An impressive accomplishment for somebody who currently works full time as director of Capital Markets for Wexford Real Estate Investors – an affiliate of the $4 billion investment firm Wexford Capital.
“I started down four love, but I was close in those two games that I lost,” a delighted Pecotic said afterwards. “So even though the score looked like I was really down, I just told myself, you know, two points – if I’d won those two points, I’d be two-all and I felt like I still had a chance and when I got that first game on the board, I felt like: ‘I’m gonna show good tennis today.’”
Pecotic’s journey in the world of tennis has been a roller-coaster. He has been ranked as high as 206th in the world back in 2015 and has played 45 matches on the lower-level Challenger circuit, reaching the final of the Suzhou Open that same year.
However, Pecotic’s rise in tennis hit a rock shortly before the 2016 Australian Open after he caught an infection following stomach surgery which left him bed-bound for eight months. During his absence, he reevaluated his future plans and opted to go into education. He got into Harvard Business School in America and became a volunteer assistant tennis coach during his time there. After graduating, he decided to give another shot at tennis before the COVID-19 pandemic derailed his plans once again.
Now Pecotic works in finance but his passion for tennis is still as high as ever. Typically working 9-6, he usually trains early in the morning. He also regularly goes to the gym and runs after work.
“I absolutely love this game and I know it’s not forever and I’m 33. I try to maximise each day. I try to train every morning if I can, five, six times a week,” he said during an interview with atptour.com earlier this week. “Sometimes I train with my boss, who is 70 years old. This week I trained with a guy who is probably in his late 50s. But you find creative ways to work around it.”
Pecotic’s next challenge in Delray Beach will be a showdown against Marcos Giron in the second round.
“I had to leave work early today,” he jokes. “I had to send an email to the whole team. [My boss] let me off. I’m going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow.”
As of this week, Pecotic is currently ranked 784th in the world.
