Ana Konjuh
A Croatian powerhouse whose thunderous game delivered her into the sport's top 20 before a brutal series of elbow injuries intervened.
Born 1997 (age 29)·Croatian tennis player·Birthday: December 27·Generation Z
Biography
Ana Konjuh announced herself as a force of nature while still a teenager. With a serve and forehand packed with explosive power, she stormed through the junior ranks, winning the 2013 Australian Open girls' title. She translated that success to the senior tour with startling speed, becoming the youngest player in the WTA's top 100 at 16. In 2016, she blasted her way to the US Open quarterfinals, signaling her arrival among the elite. Her career, however, became a protracted battle with injuries, most notably multiple surgeries on her right elbow that required immense resilience to overcome. Konjuh's story is one of prodigious talent and the physical toll the modern game can exact.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Ana was born in 1997, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ana Was Born
The biggest hits of 1997
#1 Movie
Titanic
Best Picture
Titanic
#1 TV Show
ER
Ana's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1997Born
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2002Started school
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Became a teenager
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Could drive
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2015Could vote
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2018Turned 21
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 29 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 US Open as an 18-year-old, defeating fourth seed Agnieszka Radwańska.
- Won the Australian Open girls' singles title in 2013 and finished as the world No. 1 junior.
- Broke into the WTA Top 20 in 2017, achieving a career-high ranking of world No. 20.
- Won her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2015 Nottingham Open on grass.
Did You Know?
She underwent four surgeries on her right elbow throughout her career.
She was the youngest player in the WTA Top 100 when she first entered it in 2014.
She represented Croatia in the Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup) starting at age 14.
She defeated former world No. 1 Karolína Plíšková in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open.
“I hit the ball as hard as I can, that's my game.”
