👧 Ticiana Apel | Tennis Papers interview, December 2025

“My tennis dream is to break Djokovic’s record of being world number 1.”

Meet Ticiana Apel, Croatian girl junior tennis player who lives in Skopje, Macedonia and competing in U12 and U14 tennis categories.
Ticiana is an ambitious player who is already collecting trophies.

(Information gathered via an exclusive interview by Tennis Papers).

📘 Ticiana Apel | Biography, December 2025

🏙️ Skopje, North Macedonia 🇲🇰

🌉 Walk across the iconic Stone Bridge by the Vardar River
🏰 Explore the Skopje Fortress (Kale) and sweeping views
🏛️ Admire neoclassical statues & grand squares
🛍️ Wander through the Old Bazaar full of history & flavor
☕ Enjoy Balkan кофе, cafés & lively nightlife

🎙️Ticiana Apel | Interview, December 2025

Hello, introduce yourself please.

Hello, my name is Ticiana Apel, i’m 11 years old. I was born on 19th of June 2014.
I am Croatian but i live in Macedonia, Skopje.

What languages do you speak?

I speak Croatian, Macedonian, German, English, and Albanian.

At what age did you start playing tennis?

I started playing tennis at the age 5.

Are there other tennis players in your family?

I do not have tennis players in my family but I do have basketball players in my family.

In which club do you train?

I train in the club Mondano and ABC.

Who are your coaches?

My coaches are Andreja Isaiev and Iva Petrova.

What is your weekly training routine?

My weekly training routine is on Mondays and Fridays I have usually private trainings where I focus on my technique and my shots. Tuedays, Tursdays, and Saturday I usually have groups, on Tuesdays we mostly do fitness in the park for 30mins then we head back to the club to play tennis. Thursdays we usually have shots from standing in one place and Saturdays we usually just play points, so it adds that i play 5 times a week plus some matches so that’s 10-11 hours a week.

As an athlete, what is your greatest quality and what do you need to improve?

My greatest quality is my volley and forehand.
I would like to improve my technique, backhand and my serve.

What is your junior category and your national ranking?

I play U12 and U14. In North Macedonia there isn’t ranking until 14, while on U14 I am 35th.

What has been your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement was when i played my first ever finals on October, 18th 2023, it was in the sportclub MTP, when i still played U10 or Orange. But my actual greatest achievement was when i played my second final and i won 2:4 4:0 7:5 where i made a comeback from 5:2 to 7:5, it was on October 22th 2023 in my homeclub ABC.

In which countries have you already played tournament?

I have played here in Macedonia, Croatia and Albania.

Do you have any sponsors?

I still dont have a sponsor.

What is your goal for 2026?

My goal for 2026 is to win a lot of U12 and U14, to get a higher ranking and to play even better than I played before.

What is your tennis dream?

My tennis dream is to break Djokovic’s record of being world number 1 (as a girl).

Who are your favorite tennis players?

My favorite tennis players are Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Donna Vekic.

What do you like to do outside of tennis?

I usually draw and paint outside of tennis so i can relax and enjoy the beauty of art and nature.

To which people would you like to dedicate this interview?

I would like to dedicate this interview to my mom, grandma, and my grandpa which was the one who made me start tennis.
Also huge thank you to my club and coaches who are always there to support me and believe in me.

Thank you for the opportunity for this interview. Many regards!

Thanks a lot Ticiana!
Tennis Papers wishes you the best in your tennis life 💜🩷