PARIS – The French capital holds deep meaning for Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur: three years ago in Paris, he came close to death. He thought his career was over, recovered, and in 2025 he’s playing the best tennis of his life.
In 2022, Dzumhur suffered acute pancreatitis after playing the Roland Garros qualy. The tournament’s quick response in getting him to a hospital—along with his good health and physical condition—saved his life.
“I almost died,” he told CLAY in an interview in February. “The doctor who treated me said I was lucky to be young and in good shape, because someone older or weaker could have easily died from that kind of inflammation.”
“It was something very sudden that escalated quickly. I was at Roland Garros 2022, where I played Fernando Verdasco. Not long after the match, I felt sharp pain in my stomach that kept getting worse. At some point I realized something was wrong—it wasn’t normal pain, it was strong and strange. Luckily, they sent me to a hospital right away. It was pancreas inflammation, it was very serious,” he recalled.
Dzumhur lost eleven kilos in just a few days—a huge number for someone who stands at 175 centimetres tall. After leaving the hospital in Paris, where he didn’t require surgery, he continued his recovery in Belgrade. “I thought it was the end of my career,” he admitted.
Doctors in Serbia were sceptical and didn’t believe the player would be able to return to the court anytime soon.
“I recovered very quickly. I was back on a tennis court just four months after it happened,” Dzumhur said to CLAY.
One of the toughest moments in the life of the current world No. 69 turned out to be a turning point: “I started to enjoy tennis even more. I’m happy to have been given a second chance.”
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The Bosnian is breathing fresh air, and at 33 years of age, he’s enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. In a surprise second-round result, he defeated local hope Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. That win earned him the right to face Carlos Alcaraz in Friday’s night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.
A stage he never imagined stepping onto again after once fighting for his life in Paris.
