Viktor Troicki knows more than most about comebacks.
Sure, Serbia’s former world No.12 staved off match points against Simone Bolelli to win through to the Sydney International semi-finals.
But his return from what he considered to be a completely unjust ban is something else.
In 2013 Troicki was taken out of the game for 18 months when he failed to give a timely blood sample at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Feeling ill and with a phobia of needles Troicki said he’d asked whether he’d be able to take the test the next day. He maintains that he was told by a doping control officer that he could.
The next day he took the test and passed it.
The International Tennis Federation didn’t view that matter too kindly, effecting a ban for not giving his sample at the prescribed time before the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his sentence to 12 months on appeal.
Troicki, back in action for six months now and with a ranking that’s soared from 847 to No.92, maintains the rage. Albeit a quiet one.
The anger may have dissipated but the man who took Serbia to their first Davis Cup title in 2010 with a nerveless last rubber victory remains steadfast that any sanction was out of line.
“This thing that happened to me, I felt it was unfair. I know — me and my coach both know what really went on in that room. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just followed the doctor’s instructions,” he said following his quarter-final win at Sydney Olympic Park.
“That was my mistake. I learned something. It was a life lesson definitely.
“If you read the case, I was tested and I was clean. I never took anything. Deep in myself I know that I didn’t do anything wrong. Just it was too many unlucky things happened in that room that day.
“It was just a nightmare for me after that. Yeah, ITF, such an organisation, they cannot have a mistake in their whole system. They blame me. It was my mistake. That was the deal.”
Troicki lost sponsors and his livelihood but he did have some backers in high places, most notably World No.1 and friend Novak Djokovic.
“He knew right away,” the 28 year-old said.
“He was deeply involved in that case because he was the one that really helped me probably the most with media. Media-wise he was going public about it. It was something that I will never forget … he’s a great person. I will admire that for the rest of my life.”
The enforced break was initially almost enjoyable but Troicki said he soon found himself very down and missing the sport. He resolved to comeback a better player.
“The start was probably very, very hard. Mentally I was very down. I didn’t play for some time at all. For sure it was tough to focus on anything. I mean, I needed some time off from everything.”
Now the 2011 Sydney International runner-up he says he’s enjoying his tennis more than ever and his goal is to crack the top 10 for the first time.
“I had one year to get ready, so I’m fitter than ever,” he said. “I feel perfectly fine. Even though I play (qualifiers), that’s what you got to do when you want to get back from zero back to the top. I knew what was coming. I did it already once in my career, why not twice?”
