Vojislava Lukić

Family and early life

Lukić was born to Momčilo and Sonja Lukić in Subotica, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia), on 31 March 1987. She has one sister, Milka. Lukić trained gymnastics as a child, and was very successful in pioneer age group, but dropped her gymnastic pursuit for tennis.

Professional tennis career

Lukić, who started playing tennis aged eight, was coached by Eduard Pană. She is former European U–14 champion and World No. 8 in junior concurrence. One of her greatest junior achievements were the quarterfinals of the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, several Orange Bowl appearances, and wins over players such as Lucie Šafářová, Alla Kudryavtseva, Kateryna Bondarenko, Olga Govortsova and Monica Niculescu.

Lukić turned professional in 2004, and reached her first ITF doubles final in 2005. In 2006, she won three ITF singles titles in 2006, all in Romania – in Piteşti, Medias and Bucharest, and made two final appearances in doubles. The following year, Lukić collected her fourth ITF title in Attaleia, Turkey, beating Anastasija Sevastova 6–3, 7–6(3), and three doubles titles. She also made her only appearances at both WTA Tour and Grand Slam at, respectively, the 2007 Istanbul Cup and the 2007 US Open. In Istanbul, she lost in the first qualification round 6–2, 6–3, 5–7 to Urszula Radwańska, while at the US Open she was defeated by Galina Voskoboeva 6–4, 6–1, also in the first qualification round.

Lukić was also one of four members of Serbia Fed Cup team in 2007, alongside Jelena Janković, Ana Jovanović and Ana Timotić, in a 2007 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Group I C match against Estonia. She won her singles match against Anett Schutting 6–1, 6–2, and her doubles match against Schutting and Margit Rüütel, partnering Timotić. She then lost her singles match versus Johanna Larsson in the round robin versus Sweden. In the quarterfinals of World Group II Playoffs, Lukić lost to former World No. 5 player Daniela Hantuchová 6–0, 6–2.

In 2008, Lukić stated she had lost the faith in her game, and announced retirement. She began working as a host of Total Tennis, the RTS television program about tennis, and opened her own tennis school for girls. In December 2009, Lukić played doubles at the ITF tournament in Dubai partnering with Bojana Jovanovski. They lost 6–4, 6–2, to Julia Görges and Oksana Kalashnikova in the second round.

Due to her return to amateur status, Lukić met the playing criteria of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and began playing for the women's tennis team of the Barry University. However, she left the team shortly after and resumed her professional career after three years. Lukić qualified for the ITF tournament in Sumter, South Carolina, but lost in the second round of the main draw. Following a first–round loss at the ITF event in El Paso, Texas, she won the tournament in Bethany Beach, Delaware, by defeating Sanaz Marand 6–2, 7–5. At the ITF event in Williamsburg, Virginia, Lukić won her sixth career title by beating Caroline Doyle 6–1, 6–3.

In 2014, Lukić made a comeback after nearly a two-year absence, playing in the $10,000 ITF tournament in Sharm el-Sheikh (30 June – 6 July), where she lost her first round match to eventual finalist Jan Abaza 6–2, 6–1. She decided in agreement with her new coach, Mohamed El Ghazawy, that she would train and play in Sharm el-Sheikh until the end of the year, with plans to play outside of Egypt next year. In August, she won her first ITF doubles title (partnering Haine Ogata) in almost seven years and reached her first ITF singles final in more than two years, losing 4–6, 1–6 to Valeriya Strakhova. Following another final in early September, where she lost 7–6(2), 4–6, 3–6 to Anna Morgina, Lukić again faced Morgina in a finals rematch in the next tournament. This time Lukić won 6–4, 6–3 for her first singles title since making a comeback.

Other work and endeavours

In early 2009, Lukić did a cover spread for the February 2009 issue of the FHM magazine in Serbia. During her temporary retirement, it was speculated that Lukić had her eyes on acting career and that she was aided by former Hollywood star Don Johnson.

During her retirement, from 2008 to 2012, Lukić worked as a presenter of Total Tennis, a tennis–related television programme airing on the Radio Television of Serbia, and founded her own tennis school for girls.

Personal life

She was in a relationship with Zoran Ćopić, controversial Republika Srpska businessman and 21 years her senior. A source close to Republika Srpska (RS) judiciary revealed that Lukić visited Ćopić while he was in custody on charges of money laundering schemes as one of the collaborators of Montenegrin mob boss Darko Šarić. In 2011, she married Fabrizio Besnati.

Other than her native Serbian language, she speaks English, German, French and Romanian.