In the week since Marina Erakovic announced her retirement, New Zealand may have found its next women's tennis star
Seventeen-year-old Valentina Ivanov has completed the full set of national titles, after claiming the New Zealand open championship on Sunday.
But her rapid rise still isn't enough to convince the national body to back her.
She's young, she's ambitious and she's ready to take on the world, after acing the local scene, and now wants to spread her wings.
"It's obviously great doing well in New Zealand and winning these tournaments, but once you go out of New Zealand and play around the world, the level goes up by infinity," Ivanov told Newshub.
And so does the cost - a singles player pumps about $100,000 into their game every year.
Tennis New Zealand won't back her until her ranking improves, so the only funding she's getting is from the bank of mum and dad.
"It's hard. Every week, if you're playing a tournament, there's accommodation, which isn't cheap.
"You have to pay for food and not only that, you pay for your expenses, your coach."
Marina Erakovic says her career would have been non-existent without the backing of the Seed Foundation.
And Ivanov has already caught the eye of the group, which helps young players transition to the professional game.
"It would make a massive difference - it would help me a lot. Obviously, the more tournaments you play, the more confidence you gain and the more time you have to get used to the atmosphere."
With the foundation making decisions in the New Year, her results at the ASB Classic could be the deciding factor.
Winning the national title has earned Ivanov a spot in qualifying for the Auckland summer tradition.
"I really wanted to get that wildcard into ASB. I'm really happy, that's definitely going to be a great start to my 2019.
And with the retirement of New Zealand's long-time number one, could she fill the void?
"I don't know, we'll see. It would be great to follow in her footsteps and do tennis NZ proud."
Newshub.
