Freshmen Draskovic twins dominate in doubles on varsity tennis team

By Katie Von Behren
Staff Writer

In the world of sports, teams are always looking for new ways to get an edge on the competition. A strong pair that has proved its value, freshmen twins Isabella and Katarina Draskovic may have done the trick for the Mira Costa tennis team.

Isabella and Katarina Draskovic are the number-one varsity doubles team at Costa. The girls transferred this year to Costa from the Culver City Unified School District because of the academic and athletic opportunities.

“I love tennis because of the intense competition,” Katarina said. “Being on the team is one of the best decisions of my life, and I love having the constant support from my teammates.”

The girls started playing tennis together when they were eight years old. Their dad encouraged them to play a sport together and found a private coach who they train with for three hours a day. Katarina and Isabella practice up to three hours a day at Costa. Throughout non-league play they were undefeated.

“Like most incoming freshmen, they are learning new techniques each match,” Costa tennis coach Joe Ciasulli said. “As a matter of fact, in the Corona del Mar match, they improved from the first set to the third set. The Corona coach even mentioned that he was impressed with their growth in just that short amount of time.”

Isabella and Katarina have also competed in United States Tennis Association tournaments and won the Grand Prix in doubles when they were 12 years old. In November, the girls plan on participating in the USTA doubles sectional tournament.

“I love playing with my sister,” Isabella said. “We know each others weaknesses and communicate well, which makes us a good team,” Isabella said.
The girls are often compared to the American professional doubles duo, twins Michael Bryan and Robert Bryan, who won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics and two gold medals in the 2012 Olympics. Katarina and Isabella are inspired by the Bryan brothers and hope to receive an athletic scholarship in the future to play tennis in college. They aspire to play together professionally as a doubles team.

“They are very good tennis players who have worked hard,” Ciasulli said. “Isabella and Katarina seem to have a sixth sense that allows each one to instinctively know what the other is doing or going to do.”