Young New Zealand tennis professional, Marina Erakovic, has been teamed with Kia Motors for the past three years as a Kia Emerging athlete.
Marina has had a roller coaster ride over the past three years, leaping from no. 153 in the world to no. 49 before injuries plagued her 2009 and 2010 seasons causing her to drop back down the rankings.
Things are looking brighter now for the young player, with the injury behind her and a more structured approach to her tennis, including a new coach Christian Zahalka. Christian has previously worked with Nadia Petrova and Alla Kudryavtseva, and is currently based in Boca Raton, Florida at the Chris Evert Tennis Academy.
Marina has been involved in promoting Kia Soul and the stunningly successful Koup in recent months, although as she freely admits, the fun in promoting the Kia range is really around the cars and the people who drive them.
Marina has re-launched her career in late 2010 and returned to compete successfully in the Kia Motors sponsored Singles and Doubles Championships at the 2011 ASB Classic held in Auckland. Marina reached the finals of the Kia Doubles Championship with her new partners Sofia Arvidsson from Sweden, beating the in-form 2nd seeds Uhlirova and Grandin and finishing as runners-up to the top seeds, Srebotnik and Peschke
Marina is currently working her way up the rankings and is playing in the US on the WTA tour.
Kia Motors supports Marina in her quest to regain her top 100 ranking – keep an eye out for her exploits.