University of Georgia Athletics
Vecic Savors One Last Win
May 04, 2026 | Women's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
One of the biggest feel-good wins of this Georgia women's tennis season happened Saturday afternoon on court 5 at Henry Feild Stadium. In a lopsided NCAA tournament first-round match against Alabama State, senior Alexandra Vecic, playing her first match since Feb. 1, 2025, delivered the clinching win in the top-seeded Bulldogs' 4-0 victory.
"It was so much fun," Vecic said. "It was one of my favorite moments since I've been here, just because I've come a really long way. It just felt super special that we succeeded, and I was on the court playing in front of the best crowd in the nation."
The moment she wrapped up her 6-1, 6-1 win over Jovana Petrovic, Vecic started getting big, warm hugs from her teammates and coaches. And for good reason: Vecic, who played only at the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots in 2024, had traveled a long, challenging road just to get back on the court one last time as a Bulldog,
After redshirting the 2022-23 season, Vecic, from Singen, Germany, was one of the Bulldogs' top players the following year. She helped Georgia share the SEC regular-season crown, win the SEC tournament, and advance to the finals of the NCAA tournament. She was ranked as high as No. 25 in the country in singles, and her future looked very bright. But then came an agravation to a wrist injury during a pro tournament in Macon, Ga., in October 2024.
"I was playing a few pro tournaments in the fall, and it was going, honestly, very well. I had some of my best results I ever had, but then the tournament in Macon was the last tournament I could play," she said. "I couldn't even hold a glass of water anymore with my right wrist, so there was not really a question anymore if surgery was needed."
The first surgery proved to be unsuccessful, so a second one last August was needed. Then came a long recovery process.
"You can't really rush it; you have to listen to your body. There is just no speeding it up, which was really hard for me. Once January rolled around, I was impatient. I really wanted to play; I really wanted to get out there and just practice with the team and play matches. But I'm glad that it's better late than never," she said.
Bernstein said the coaches figured out as last week went on that there was a chance Vecic would be able to play against Alabama State.
"She was in a good enough spot to give it a roll and trust her and let her go run with it," he said.
That Vecic did, and she did so with her mother, Biljana, in town from Germany, and her father, Srdjan, watching online back home.
"That was really special, having her here and my dad watching from home," Vecic said. "I mean, they were the ones that had the most to contribute to my whole tennis journey and my success."
Getting the clinching win, she said, "was the cherry on top."
Through all of the ups and downs over the past two seasons, Bernstein said, Vecic has kept a good attitude and done her best to be a great teammate. She wasn't on the court in 2025 when the Bulldogs won the ITA National Team Indoor championship or the NCAA title, or when Georgia won a second straight ITA Indoor title in February, but she still contributed to the team's success, he said.
"She still was kind of the example for, this is what you do," Bernstein said. "You knew what you were going to get for that two-hour practice out of her, and she's still got the same motor. She's just maybe turned her motor in other ways (as a teammate)."
And that is what made Vecic's return against Alabama State so meaningful for the Bulldogs. She'd kept working to get back, kept being a valuable voice in the locker room, kept thriving academically, and at long last, she got to lace up her shoes, grab her rackets, and play for Georgia one last time.
"It felt amazing to be playing again," she said. "And I was so happy that we had a good, sunny day, and that we could play outdoors. I feel like playing outdoors is just another level. This is really the most beautiful stage you can play at, in front of so many people. It was just perfect.
"My teammates were the best. Everyone was really amazing. I got so many messages, and so many people texted me that they were happy to see me back on the court. I felt very loved."
On Sunday, Vecic was back on the sideline, cheering her teammates on as the Bulldogs blanked Charlotte, 4-0. Up next for Georgia is UCLA in the round of 16 on Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. It's the day after Vecic will be officially graduating with a master's degree in Business Analytics. She already has a job lined up with a consulting firm that will likely have her based in Atlanta and returning to Athens often for work.
"UGA will always be my home," she said. "I'll be back to watch tennis, watch the girls, and keep up with all the amazing people I met here and the relationships I've built over the years."
Vecic's college career didn't go as planned, but as her big smile Saturday and Sunday showed, she's ended up in a very good place. And she got to enjoy one more match and one more victory playing for the Bulldogs.
Â
Staff Writer
One of the biggest feel-good wins of this Georgia women's tennis season happened Saturday afternoon on court 5 at Henry Feild Stadium. In a lopsided NCAA tournament first-round match against Alabama State, senior Alexandra Vecic, playing her first match since Feb. 1, 2025, delivered the clinching win in the top-seeded Bulldogs' 4-0 victory.
"It was so much fun," Vecic said. "It was one of my favorite moments since I've been here, just because I've come a really long way. It just felt super special that we succeeded, and I was on the court playing in front of the best crowd in the nation."
The moment she wrapped up her 6-1, 6-1 win over Jovana Petrovic, Vecic started getting big, warm hugs from her teammates and coaches. And for good reason: Vecic, who played only at the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots in 2024, had traveled a long, challenging road just to get back on the court one last time as a Bulldog,
After redshirting the 2022-23 season, Vecic, from Singen, Germany, was one of the Bulldogs' top players the following year. She helped Georgia share the SEC regular-season crown, win the SEC tournament, and advance to the finals of the NCAA tournament. She was ranked as high as No. 25 in the country in singles, and her future looked very bright. But then came an agravation to a wrist injury during a pro tournament in Macon, Ga., in October 2024.
"I was playing a few pro tournaments in the fall, and it was going, honestly, very well. I had some of my best results I ever had, but then the tournament in Macon was the last tournament I could play," she said. "I couldn't even hold a glass of water anymore with my right wrist, so there was not really a question anymore if surgery was needed."
The first surgery proved to be unsuccessful, so a second one last August was needed. Then came a long recovery process.
"You can't really rush it; you have to listen to your body. There is just no speeding it up, which was really hard for me. Once January rolled around, I was impatient. I really wanted to play; I really wanted to get out there and just practice with the team and play matches. But I'm glad that it's better late than never," she said.
Bernstein said the coaches figured out as last week went on that there was a chance Vecic would be able to play against Alabama State.
"She was in a good enough spot to give it a roll and trust her and let her go run with it," he said.
That Vecic did, and she did so with her mother, Biljana, in town from Germany, and her father, Srdjan, watching online back home.
"That was really special, having her here and my dad watching from home," Vecic said. "I mean, they were the ones that had the most to contribute to my whole tennis journey and my success."
Getting the clinching win, she said, "was the cherry on top."
Through all of the ups and downs over the past two seasons, Bernstein said, Vecic has kept a good attitude and done her best to be a great teammate. She wasn't on the court in 2025 when the Bulldogs won the ITA National Team Indoor championship or the NCAA title, or when Georgia won a second straight ITA Indoor title in February, but she still contributed to the team's success, he said.
"She still was kind of the example for, this is what you do," Bernstein said. "You knew what you were going to get for that two-hour practice out of her, and she's still got the same motor. She's just maybe turned her motor in other ways (as a teammate)."
And that is what made Vecic's return against Alabama State so meaningful for the Bulldogs. She'd kept working to get back, kept being a valuable voice in the locker room, kept thriving academically, and at long last, she got to lace up her shoes, grab her rackets, and play for Georgia one last time.
"It felt amazing to be playing again," she said. "And I was so happy that we had a good, sunny day, and that we could play outdoors. I feel like playing outdoors is just another level. This is really the most beautiful stage you can play at, in front of so many people. It was just perfect.
"My teammates were the best. Everyone was really amazing. I got so many messages, and so many people texted me that they were happy to see me back on the court. I felt very loved."
On Sunday, Vecic was back on the sideline, cheering her teammates on as the Bulldogs blanked Charlotte, 4-0. Up next for Georgia is UCLA in the round of 16 on Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. It's the day after Vecic will be officially graduating with a master's degree in Business Analytics. She already has a job lined up with a consulting firm that will likely have her based in Atlanta and returning to Athens often for work.
"UGA will always be my home," she said. "I'll be back to watch tennis, watch the girls, and keep up with all the amazing people I met here and the relationships I've built over the years."
Vecic's college career didn't go as planned, but as her big smile Saturday and Sunday showed, she's ended up in a very good place. And she got to enjoy one more match and one more victory playing for the Bulldogs.
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Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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