Serbian ‘Fire and Ice’ Pair Sizzle at Gadre Gaspar Dias Open 2026
Escaping the Serbian winter, Belgrade natives Milica Rakovic and Mladen Petrovic return to Goa each year with their tennis rackets in tow. At the Gadre Gaspar Dias Open 2026, the 55-year-olds proved that chemistry in a competitive arena winning the masters 35+ mixed doubles title.
Panaji, February 2026 – From the temperate clime of Serbia to the tropical paradise in Goa, Milica Rakovic and Mladen Petrovic (both aged 55), have been serving smashes on the tennis court.
Staying away from harsh Serbian winter months, this Belgrade couple makes Mandrem their home every year, where Milica practices yoga and Mladen chills with a “Goan drink” in hand. And together, they are ‘fire and ice’ on the tennis court, as seen at the recently concluded master’s segment of the Gadre Gaspar Dias Open 2026, held at Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias, where they won the masters 35+ mixed doubles title.
Speaking about the experience, Milica says, “We tried to win this tournament for three years and practiced especially for it, and were lucky at our third attempt, as it is a high-quality competition.” Mladen adds that they’re lucky to be healthy enough to still perform at this level, “As far as winning goes, each trophy is a relief and a blessing, until the next tournament. But the Gaspar Gadre Open means a lot; it is a serious club, with a hundred-year-old tradition. We are honoured to be part of it year after year. Most of all the hospitality we get from thousands of miles from home is special.”
Though they have honed their skills at the court over time, their journey in the sport had its set of challenges, given that it was viewed as an ‘elitist sport’ in an erstwhile socialist country. “Tennis was not praised in those days, as it was considered too elitist. The country gave more importance to collective sports such as football, basketball, water polo,” says Mladen, an interior and industrial designer. However, his introduction to the game was somewhat ironic, as it started off as a ‘punishment’. “I was a misbehaved kid and a lousy student, so to keep me out of trouble, my parents sent me to the closest tennis club, where I would spend most of my summers. That’s how it all started,” says Mladen, who draws inspiration from the French ATP player Yannick Noah. Milica, on the other hand was fascinated with seeing people
dressed in white, hitting the ball on the court near her home, “My uncle introduced me to the game when I was 12,” says the investment banker, who has been playing the sport for the last 40 years, even earning a full tennis scholarship to study Economics at Rollins College, Florida, USA at age 17 and subsequently, at the University of Cambridge, UK.
Having met through a friend, five years ago, the couple bonded over tennis and started competing in doubles ever since. “We carry our tennis rackets while travelling. It’s always wonderful to play – from among pine trees in Sicily to banyan trees in our
home-away-from-home court in Anjuna – yet it is most fascinating to meet very interesting people that tennis attracts as players and spectators,” says Milica.
Ask them how their relationship translates on court and how they find a balance between on-court disagreements and off-court camaraderie, Milica is quick to respond, “We are super competitive playing against each other, but it is very special to play on the same side of the net. We both get very nervous and have disagreements on the court. Off the court, all is forgotten and then we only fight over how one should drive a car in India.” Mladen laughs and adds, “To put it in a simple way, this is the recipe: when she becomes fire, I try to be ice. When she is ice, I try to be on fire.”
Image Caption: (L-R) Serbians Mladen Petrovic and Milica Racovic after winning the masters 35+mixed doubles title at the Gadre Gaspar Dias Open 2026
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