To say Lina Gjorcheska entered Court Two at Wimbledon on Tuesday in unfamiliar territory would be a massive understatement.
Gjorcheska, whose home country of North Macedonia doesn’t have any grass courts, finally reached the main draw of a Grand Slam on her 13th attempt in qualifying. It is a huge milestone for the 31-year-old who has only played one other main draw match at WTA Tour-level back in 2017. For years, she has been grinding on the lower-level ITF circuit and in some WTA 125s.
Her opponent in the first round was the sixth seed and two-time major finalist Amanda Anisimova. This was also the first time Gjorcheska had played somebody ranked above 40th in the world. Cheered on by some Macedonian fans in the crowd, one of whom was waving a scarf with the country’s name on it, she lost 6-3, 6-2.
“It was really amazing. This is one of the best, if not the best, tournaments, so it’s really a lifetime experience,” Gjorcheska said afterwards.
“ Also playing Amanda, (Grand Slam) finalist and amazing player. It’s really a dream come true.”
Gjorcheska’s route to her showdown with Anisimova saw her beat three players in qualifying at Roehampton last week. Her most high-profile win was over former top-50 player Lucia Bronzetti. She is the first player from North Macedonia to play in a Grand Slam main draw.
As for what she has learned about herself in recent days, one thing comes to mind.
“To be patient because it’s really tricky playing on grass,” she said.
“We don’t have anywhere to prepare, so I was preparing two days before the match. So I learned to be patient and to go with my serve, to believe in myself.”
Wimbledon will, without a doubt, be a huge game-changer for Gjorcheska, especially from a financial side. Her career prize money stood at $525,499, but it will be boosted by an extra $110,000 following her Wimbledon first round appearance.
Although money isn’t everything. Gjorcheska has now shot to the limelight back home and has received numerous messages of support. She is the only woman from her country to have a WTA singles ranking. On the men’s Tour, there are two players who are ranked 428th (Oleg Prihodko) and 1148th (Kalin Ivanovski).
“ Even if I don’t want to hear before the match, it’s, it’s everywhere,” she said of the reaction back home.
“Not a lot of things are happening at the moment at home. So this was a really big thing for all of them.”
Now that she has achieved her Grand Slam dream, Gjorcheska is taking a relaxed approach to what the future has in store for her.
“It’s one year. We need to play to defend points, but why not?” She said of returning to Wimbledon again.
“A few WTAs, US Open, and that’s a plan for this year, hopefully one more main draw Grand Slam.”
