1957 - The tennis park in Ljudski vrt has so far achieved close to 100 champions titles, may it be in the old Yugoslav kingdom, former Yugoslavia, or our homeland Slovenia after 1991. Mima Jaušovec has won over 26 titles, from juniors to professionals between 1967 and 1976 in singles and pairs. The victories on the home court were just a beginning for Mima and they launched her into the world of great champions.
Mima Jaušovec was applauded as a winner in many world tennis centres - Paris, Wimbledon, Rome, Hamburg, Toronto, amateur European championship in Pšerovo, European championship in Maribor where everybody expected a single's trophy but she won pairs with a Bolgarian Pompolov. Prior to that she was the first European to win the junior's Orange Bowl in Florida, European junior championship in Berlin, and last but not least - she won both junior Roland Garros and junior Wimbledon! This incredibly interesting tennis path started shaping in the hatching place of champions. Tennis club Branik was the best-organised club of the former Yugoslavia and now of Slovenia. Obviously the people there knew that without many efforts there could be no results.
Her 5 years older brother Zoran who had no idea that he discovered a jewel who only needed to be well sharpened brought Mima to the tennis court. He also had no idea that he was to become the most reliable companion of the Slovene champion besides her coaches. It is easy when everything goes well and victories follow, it is much harder when things go down. Mima came through numerous crises. And always there was Zoran - when 8 kilograms needed to be lost in Paris or when a desperate sister called for help overseas.
Coaches Milan Krch, Vlado Krch, and Srečko Slana, who was a tennis gentleman already at that time, shaped this jewel called MIMA. Nevertheless, Zoran and the family ware always there to protect her.
Between her first tournament in Ljudski vrt in Maribor in 1967 and her last one in Brussels in 1986 Mima Jaušovec has travelled over the Equator a few hundred times, seen all the continents, played brilliantly around the world. "Yes," says Mima now, "I haven't really played my last tournament yet." And she continues to win most veteran tournaments, of course in the 'broader' category.