Vito Tonejc's Amazing Journey From Lucky Loser to Lifetime Winner

TULSA, Okla. – The news of Vito Tonejc's loss Wednesday at the ITA All-American Championships is almost a footnote to the larger story of how the junior from Zagreb, Croatia went from a Lucky Loser to a lifetime winner.

The Lucky Loser is a fascinating concept at high-profile tennis tournaments where several players eliminated in the final qualifying round are randomly selected for a second chance and placed in the Main Draw.

Tonejc was granted just such a golden ticket, except that he and coach Matt Brothers found out about the Lucky Loser berth while awaiting takeoff on their Tuesday evening flight to Dallas where they would catch a connecting flight back to Chicago.

What unfolds next is an amazing journey back to Tulsa, dramatized at times by a text conversation between Brothers and an Athletics Communications staffer beginning at 6:36 p.m.

The good-news text about Tonejc's reprieve was first met with an expression of extreme regret from the coach followed by:

"We are on a plane waiting to leave Tulsa."

One minute later, another text:

"Oh wait…Might get off or make it work somehow."

At this point, Brothers is likely asking a flight attendant about getting off the plane at literally the last minute.

Next text:

"Can't get our gear off the plane…layover in Dallas."

Brothers was asked for an update.

"Don't think it will work."

Discouraging news, but Brothers wasn't quite ready to give up. About an hour later, Brothers' temperament has done a complete 180.

"We're doing it," he texts. "Pulling bags, driving back up there…crazy."

Next text is even better.

"Got a flight! Back in Tulsa in 45 minutes! This is nuts."

The coach's final text arrived at 10:39 p.m.

"We just checked back into our hotel."

It's really no surprise that Brothers was ready to rent a car and drive four hours in the dead of night so Tonejc could play one more match with teammates Tripp Tuff, Luuk Wassenaar and Marino Jakic lending their support after each was eliminated from the tournament.

Every parent reading this account knows exactly how the Blue Demon coach felt. There isn't anything you wouldn't do to help your child succeed in life.

Brothers, who has a daughter Grace and a son Charlie, is a prime example of how people at DePaul really do care about one another. "Take Care DePaul" is not just some slick advertising campaign or trendy catchphrase.

What transpired late last night is real life. It is simply how things are done at Sheffield and Belden.

Grateful for all the extra effort on his behalf, Tonejc gave it his best shot at Tulsa's Case Tennis Center. After dropping the opening set 6-4, Tonejc rallied to even the match with a 7-6(3) result in the second set.

But South Carolina's Conner Thomson---ranked No. 16 in the nation---prevailed for a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 win.

For Vito, the details of his final match in Tulsa will eventually fade with the passage of time.

What will remain for the rest of his life is the memory of a coach who was ready to move heaven and earth while refusing to let him down.

Take Good Care---DePaul.

ITA All-American Championships
Oct. 6, 2021
Tulsa, Okla.
Singles
Connor Thomson (South Carolina) def. Vito Tonejc (DePaul) 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2

Vito Tonejc's Amazing Journey From Lucky Loser to Lifetime Winner

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Players Mentioned

Marino Jakic

Vito Tonejc

Tripp Tuff

Luuk Wassenaar

DePaul University Athletics