At the World Tour Finals in London, I had a chance to ask Novak Djoković for his thoughts on what Viktor Troicki has achieved this season.  “Well,” started the ATP #1, “I think he managed something that not many have in the history of tennis: to return, practically from nothing, to where he belongs—in the world’s top 25.”  Showing that he’d been following his teammate’s results closely, he added: Viktor “had a bit of difficulty in the last few months lining up successes and maintaining the continuity that he had in the first 5-6 months of the year.  But, all things considered and taking into account where he was 15 months ago and where he is now, I think he really should be acknowledged and congratulated, because psychologically that is extremely difficult and a big challenge and he managed to overcome it.  So, as his friend, I am extremely pleased that he succeeded in doing it.”

What does Troicki think of his own accomplishments?  Earlier this year, I sat down with the Serbian player and his Australian coach for two wide-ranging conversations about their first year back on tour after a year-long suspension.  With both Troicki and Reader, we talked a lot about the past: that fateful day in Monte Carlo and its aftermath.  Even though it’s been two years since the CAS tribunal decided his case, the emotions of both men are still strong.  (Those needing a refresher on Troicki’s case, which led to his being sanctioned for violating the ITF’s anti-doping rules, can read this overview from 2013.)  Here, though, we’ll focus mostly on the positives: Viktor’s comeback and what he’s learned about himself and the man who travels with him for much of the year.  Read my exchange with Jack Reader here; the Serbian version of this interview was published by B92.

AM: The week you returned, you were ranked 847 in the world and now you’re in the top 25.  But those are merely numbers.  What are you most proud of in terms of the last year?

VT: Well, it was hard.  Before starting, it was hard mentally—not knowing what was going to happen.  There was a lot of pressure, from everyone, and I wasn’t sure myself how it was going to be, whether I was going to return at all.  Who knows, if I’d lost the first five matches, how I would have felt or whether I’d play again?

Even though a lot of people were doubting if I’d ever come back, I’m a very stubborn person—you know, Serbian inat.  So, I wanted to prove, first of all to myself but also to others, that I could do it and that I could be even better.  Of course, if I get into position to say out loud to the whole organization of the ITF that they were wrong in trying to end my career…

AM: But you know it wasn’t personal, right?  I don’t mean for you—simply that the ITF would have gone after anyone in that position.

VT: Afterwards, I felt it was.  Everything they said in public, they made it personal.

AM: Well, they have to maintain their position.

VT: Sure, sure.  But, afterwards, whatever I felt before from the ITF, it’s not the same.  For example, I asked for a wildcard for the US Open last year—just for qualies—and there was no response.  I didn’t expect to get the wildcard, but it’s proof that they don’t care about me.

AM: To return to the good stuff, what else are you feeling after this year?  Although you may not be at your career-high ranking now (he spent three weeks at #12 in 2011), have there been other high points?

VT: Definitely, winning the Sydney title was huge to start the year.  I’ve had some good results, on grass especially.  But I had a lot of good matches, good wins, and feel my game is improving, which is the most pleasing thing to see.  I don’t want to stop here.

Altogether, I’m still hungry for more results and for being better than I am.  It’s nice to see where I am after just one year, but I still want to improve.  That’s my goal and that’s why I’m working hard.

I have to say, though, that sometimes I’m disappointed that I’m not getting much credit.  You know, when a player comes back from an injury or a long break, they write about it and it’s a big thing: “He came back; he made it!”  A lot of players use their protected ranking; they get wildcards.  It hurt me that I didn’t have any of those.  It doesn’t even matter about last year—just for being where I am, right now… It seems like [the media] are almost forbidden to say anything about me because of what happened.

AM: From my perspective, it may be that doping is such a serious issue in sports that there’s a risk in criticizing the ITF and WADA or even appearing sympathetic toward a player like you, returning from suspension.  Certainly, it’s been suggested that I’m naive for believing your version of events or that I don’t understand the bigger issues at stake.  Sports journalists may be afraid to do or say anything that could make them look “soft” on doping.

What about sponsors?  I know Babolat stuck with you—anybody else?

VT: Lotto, the clothing company, stepped up right away.  They wanted me to wear their stuff as soon as I came back.  But apart from that, no, nothing.  Ok, being Serbian, it’s already tough.  But having this situation, it’s even tougher.

AM: What was it like returning to the Challenger tour after all these years?

VT: It was definitely weird, you know, being on the tour for however many years and being used to it and then coming back to the qualies of Challengers.  It was different.

AM: Did you talk to any of the young players?

VT: Yeah, they helped me because I felt they were sometimes scared of me.  They knew who I was, obviously, and my ranking in the past.

AM: There was an intimidation factor?

VT: Yeah, but on the other hand, they all wanted to beat me because they knew I was a good player.  So, they were kind of scared but also had more motivation to go for it.

It was kind of weird, being on the Challenger tour, meeting some of the guys I’ve never seen and some kids that are coming up and probably going to be great players.

AM: How was the road trip with your team?

VT: It was fun—we were all excited about it, even though it was the Challengers and I had to play qualies.  I felt like I was 19 or 20 again.  When I finished juniors, that’s how I felt—I wanted it so bad, I was running for every ball and fighting for every point.  It was definitely a great experience.

I was always a fighter—I would never give up.  That’s why, I think, I made it—both times.  When I was first coming up, trying to build my ranking, I believed in myself.  Even though, when I was a junior, they told me I couldn’t have a career because I wasn’t talented enough.

AM: As juniors, Janko [Tipsarević] was always considered the more talented one.

VT: He was older than me by two years.  I never even got to hit with him before I was about 18—he was way ahead of me, already playing professional tournaments at a young age.  Novak was one year younger, but he used to play with the older guys.  So, a lot of people never thought I could be any good or make it as a professional.  I was never the best of my generation—there were a lot of kids who were ahead of me.

But I started playing better and better when I was 18.  And that helped me a lot [last year], remembering these old times.  I was fighting even then, working harder than the others, just to prove to people that I could make it.  I had no sponsors, no help from anyone.  Actually, a friend sent me an article recently from when I was young, saying that I shouldn’t get monthly support from the Federation because I had no future in tennis.  It was funny to see that.

All these things help now.  Just like when I was young, I want to do it because I believe in myself and that I can be where I want to be.

AM: When you came back, one of your first big goals was to make it into the top 100.  What kind of goals do you have now?

VT: A definite goal is the top 10.  As I’ve said, I’m hungry and I want more and the top 10 is the next step.  It’s not easy: there are a lot of great players who want to be there, but I feel I have a chance.  I believe in myself—that’s one of the main things you’ve got to have, other than quality and hard work.  But if you don’t believe, you’re never going to be there.

AM: Even if this whole ITF case hadn’t happened, you weren’t doing too well in 2012.  Weren’t you already in a bit of a slump before you started working with Jack Reader?

VT: I got settled into this kind of position—being in the top 30, 40, 50—and nothing major was happening.  I got pretty used to this feeling of going to tournaments, playing matches, and not really enjoying it.  When I was a kid, I always wanted to be here; but then, I wasn’t feeling the excitement.

When we started working together, even though I was top 50 in the world, my game was really bad.  I wasn’t feeling confident at all and I was struggling with my game—it was falling apart.  Jack came right in the moment when the new season was starting.  Of course, it didn’t start great immediately, but we were going step by step and by working on specific things, I felt improvement.  Everything was going better and better—already by the French Open I reached the fourth round, which was a good thing.  At Wimbledon, I made the third round, beating Janko and playing other good matches.  So, I felt like my game was back… Then it all stopped.

Such a coach, he could have gone with anyone.  I know he had offers.  When I got sanctioned, when we knew it would be a year, Jack took it hard.  During the first call, he felt sorry; he was also very shocked and down. But then he called me back right away and said, “Ok, we’re going to do this.  We’re going to come back.  We’re going to prove that we belong there and be better than before.”  He was pumped right away—it was crazy to see, but he was.

AM: That must have been especially helpful since you were so down at the time.  I remember seeing you on the front page of a Serbian tabloid, with a headline like “I don’t know what to do with my life,” and being worried for you.

VT: Well, I was shocked more than anything.  It was all over the news—all the attention was on me and nobody knew what really went on.  All of a sudden, it was happening and it was a big thing, you know?

I’ve got to thank the Serbian media. They were all really supportive and I never expected that.  My personal feeling is that they were behind me.  First of all, they were trying to understand what had happened; but after that, they were trying to encourage me to come back.  That helped me.

AM: What have you learned about your coach in the past two years?

VT: That he is a really great person, first of all.  That he is genuine and honest—a true friend.  It’s not just a professional relationship.  He was never after any money or anything like that.  He would always help you out.

It’s incredible how many friends he has around the world.  I’ve met many of them and they all say the exact same thing—that he’s a great person and he cares about his friends.  With me, he’s been really caring a lot and it’s unbelievable to have such a person next to you.  He’s not just in it for business—it’s also to have a nice relationship outside the court.  People love him on the tour: they know he’s funny, very relaxed, and always positive.

He also made me more happy on the court and helped me enjoy tennis more.  There are a lot of things he’s taught me and a lot of things I’ve seen from him.  It’s great to have him with me.