At Wimbledon, Ana Konjuh Spun her Tale of Fate

Ana Konjuh has a tattoo on her left wrist that reads, "Fate." Perhaps it was fate that drew her to her sister's tennis practices, where she first fell in love with the sport at 5. Perhaps fate again played a role in driving her from her quiet hometown, Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Zagreb at 10, leading her to her mentor, former French Open champion Iva Majoli.

"I got it when I won the Australian Open juniors last year," she said of the tattoo. "It means a lot to me. I believe in the power of fate. It helps me because, sometimes, when it's hard in a match, you have to have faith in yourself that you can do it."

Now 16, Konjuh became the youngest player to reach the third round of Wimbledon since Jelena Dokic in 1999. On Friday, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-0.

"It's not easy to be on the opposite side of the court from such a big name," she said. "You go in against Caroline knowing that she's so consistent and you have to do so much to win a point. It was frustrating, but it's a great experience. I had my chances early in the first set, but I didn't go for it, while she took everything she could."

Konjuh was not yet born when Serena Williams turned professional in 1995, but Konjuh's physical presence and booming serve belie her youth. The only indication of her age came when she admitted to struggling with fatigue after winning through three rounds of qualifying before two lengthy three-set matches this week.

Few 16-year-olds are capable of fighting through the intense, all-or-nothing atmosphere of the qualifying tournament at nearby Roehampton, especially on roughly hewed courts, which she jokingly compared to a soccer field.

But Konjuh has always been exceptionally driven to make it as a pro tennis player, ever since she followed her older sister Andrea to her practices as a young child.

"I would be collecting the balls, and my father would shout, 'Move on, you're disturbing the practice,'" she said. "I was like, 'You'll see in the next year what I'm going to do.'"

Konjuh proved to be a natural, and soon she had outgrown what Dubrovnik had to offer in the way of practice partners. So at 10, she told her parents that she had no choice but to move to Zagreb, the Croatian capital.

"To keep improving, I had to move," she said. "I know that myself. When it was raining, I had to take a day off as there were no indoor courts at all in Dubrovnik. Nobody has ever pushed me at all with tennis. I've just always wanted it. My mum was like, 'No, please don't go.' But my father said: 'If you want that, then we have to let you go. It's your life, you have to decide.'"

So Konjuh left to live with Andrea, who is eight years older.

"At first, I missed my parents a lot, but I had to grow up fast that way, which helped me a lot," Konjuh said. "Now, it's freedom."

At 14, she was discovered by Majoli at a national tournament, and she has been imparting her wisdom to help prepare Konjuh for a life in the spotlight.

"We're really close, and she's always there in my box to watch and support me," Konjuh said. "She went through it all herself, so she tells me what to expect in these big tournaments."

Since then, her biggest obstacle has been the International Tennis Federation's age eligibility rule, which restricts the number of tournaments female players can compete in before they reach 18, an attempt to reduce the burnout that affected prodigies like Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati.

"I'm allowed to play just 16 tournaments a year," she said. "That's just one or two a month. They don't want 16-year-olds winning Wimbledon anymore, which is fine, but it can be frustrating because you have to be really clever with your scheduling. Otherwise, if you lose first round a lot, you're not getting many matches and you don't feel the ball so well.

"I think it's nearly impossible for a teenager to win a Grand Slam because you don't get to play the top players at an early age, so you don't know what to expect. But if you're good enough, you'll make it in the end."

Konjuh may eventually appreciate the current limits. She has had surgery for an elbow problem, which kept her out for four months this year. The career of her sister, once also a promising player, was ended by injuries at 18.

"She had to stop, but now she has a baby and a new life, so she's happy," Konjuh said. "We used to practice together in Zagreb, and today, she reminded me, 'Remember when I used to beat you with my left hand?' It feels like a long time ago. I don't think she'll be able to beat me with her left now."

© 2014 New York Times News Service