Vlada Hranchar
Vlada Hranchar -born in the Ukraine in the year 2016- is now known in the world as a child prodigy. She and her family are sports-lovers with them ranging from different sports. In fact, her own brother plays professional soccer in Ukraine. Hranchar tried many other sports, but according to her mother, Maryna, spoke to CNN Sports and said that “her little daughter quickly became obsessed with just one sport – tennis.” Now she’s being coached by the famous Rick Macci, who is recognized for teaching Serena and Venus Williams at a very young age, who are now extraordinarily successful tennis players.
Coming Up
After receiving many compliments regarding her skills locally, her family created an Instagram account to showcase them on the internet.
As time went on and Hranchar got more popular, she was invited to play a couple of tournaments in the United States; after many invitations, the family soon decided it was time to move to America. They planned for their father to travel first to find work, and then they would come afterwards. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 their plans were set back, which fast-forwarded them to the year 2022 when the horrific war in Ukraine erupted.
The War
Despite the chaos of Russian troops invading Odessa, Hranchar and her mother made their way to New York safely. The family was finally able to reunite after much stress of not being with one another. They moved to Vermont with the assistance of tennis coaches, who were impressed by Hranchar’s abilities.
Rick Macci
Coach Macci -the coach who worked with the Williams sisters- has been widely celebrated due to his work. Along with that, he’s been told, “countless times about children who have the potential to be the next best thing,” as stated in an article by CNN Sports. But once he had seen the skills of Hranchar, he knew she had talent; he would then invite her to train at his academy in 2023. In about a month of training, Macci and her parents formed a contractual relationship.
Hranchar Routine
Her routine starts before the sun is even out at 5 in the morning. She trains at the same time for the entire week, typically around 2-3 hours. There are many videos circling the internet of her practicing, such as the Youtube video by ESPN South Florida. On top of tennis, she also takes stretching classes twice a week and taekwondo lessons three times a week. With at least two or three tournaments a month.
“I want to be number one in the world, and I want to beat Serena’s record of slams,” said Hranchar to Ben Church CNN Sports.
