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10 Aug 2025 | 14.00
Damir Dzumhur showed his warrior spirit on the courts a couple of months ago when he took a set from Carlos Alcaraz in a third-round match at Roland Garros, captivating the audience and lifting them from their seats on several occasions. Several tournaments later, the Bosnian tennis player will attempt to spring a surprise.
Ranked 59th in the world at 33 years old, he faces the Spanish player in the second round of ATP Cincinnati 2025. After defeating Mattia Belucci in a double tiebreak, Damir hopes to deliver his best performance on the hard courts to surprise the current world number two in the ATP Ranking.
Before this match, Dzumhur sat down with the ATP to recount his firsthand experience with acute pancreatitis that brought him too close to death. "The period after Roland Garros in 2022 was probably the worst time of my life. If I hadn't been young and healthy, I don't know if I would've made it out alive there. It all started after losing my first-round match in the qualifying stage against Fernando Verdasco in Paris. I had a very strong stomach pain."
The harsh news and uncertainty
"After contacting a doctor, I went to the hospital. They diagnosed me with acute pancreatitis and quickly moved me to the intensive care unit, where I stayed for six days. The pain was unbearable, so I couldn't sleep unless they gave me strong painkillers. The nights felt very long, and time seemed to stand still.
The doctors never found out how I contracted the disease. Unfortunately, it happened suddenly. It's possible, but the odds are very low for a healthy person who doesn't eat poorly or drink excessively. I spent my thirtieth day in a French hospital without my family, and tennis was the last thing on my mind. My son, Luka, had been born last October, and instead of enjoying life with him, I was in a hospital bed in another country not knowing what the future held for me."
The strength his son gives him
"I asked to be transferred to Belgrade because we found a very good doctor there, and I wanted to be closer to my family. The doctors in Paris opposed it, saying I wasn't in a condition to go anywhere. I didn't understand how serious my situation was. Those doctors are the ones who saved my life, and I can't thank them enough for it. I felt I needed to be at home.
I was transferred to Belgrade, where I stayed in the hospital for another two and a half weeks, but I still got to experience one of the best moments of my life: seeing my son again. It was a tough time, but knowing that you live for something is completely different. Children are special and give you an energy that no one else can give. One of the reasons I keep competing is because I have someone to fight for and think about constantly."
His return to the courts
"After more than 20 days, I was discharged from the hospital, and the recovery began. According to the doctors, I improved quite rapidly, but for me, it was very slow. I had lost 11 kilos, and when I left, I weighed only 55. At that moment, I wasn't thinking about tennis and didn't know how I was going to return, or even if I was going to return. Tennis players are used to focusing on our matches and results, but I was simply happy to be alive.
Once I started feeling better and regained some weight, I thought it would be good to return to training and competing. In August of that year, I dropped to 243rd in the ATP rankings, but the important thing was that I had returned to the courts. In 2018, I reached the 23rd spot in the world. Getting back to the Top 100 seemed impossible, and I couldn't imagine being close to the top of this sport again. But a year ago, I returned to the Top 100, and now I am approaching the Top 50, which is fantastic."
The age
"I am playing good tennis, feel comfortable with my game, and am in very good physical shape on the court. Tennis has changed a lot, and now there are stars competing at 38, 39, and even 40 years old. It's amazing to see champions like Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils, and Stan Wawrinka still playing at this level at this stage."
A new encounter with Carlos Alcaraz
"I lost the match at Roland Garros, but I felt very special emotions competing on such a special stage against one of the best players in the world, who will probably be one of the best players in history. He has a plan A, B, C, and D, and probably the entire alphabet of plans he can execute. He is one of the fastest players and has so many variations in his game that he can execute at the highest level.
Now I have the chance to face Alcaraz for the second time this year in Cincinnati. I will try to give my best and find the game that helped me win against him in some moments a few months ago. We'll see what happens. The most important thing is that I'm here. Three years ago, I was close to death. Now I can do what I love."
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La increíble historia de Dzumhur, de estar al borde de la muerte a encontrar su mejor tenis
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