Between Two Beers Podcast - Marina Erakovic: What It's Really Like To Be A Tennis Pro In NZ

Marina Erakovic was New Zealand's No. 1 women's tennis player from the age of 15 and spent over a decade inside the world’s top 100 rankings.

Arriving in New Zealand from the former Yugoslavia as a six-year-old who didn’t speak English, she quickly rose to prominence and reached No. 5 on the junior world tour rubbing shoulders with the likes of Novak Djokovic, and Caroline Wozniaki.

Erakovic's achievements were probably underrated in this country as she was the lone flag bearer on the WTA tour for so long. She played more than 600 main draw singles matches, competed in 36 Grand Slams, reached a career-high 39 in the world in 2012, and won 9 WTA titles and 18 ITF titles. She also represented New Zealand at two Olympic Games.

Off the court, she was one of the eight elected player representatives on the WTA Player Council for four years. A passionate musician, she has also released two EPs under the pseudonym The Mad Era and is now working in the corporate world and on the board of Tennis NZ.