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Tennis Premier League Season 7: Damir Džumhur is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s best tennis players and a trailblazer in his country’s sports history. He turned professional in 2011 and grabbed attention by becoming the first male player from Bosnia and Herzegovina to win an ATP Tour title.

His career peaked in July 2018 when he reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 23. This placed him among the top players on the circuit at that time. In 2022, Damir faced a life-threatening episode of acute pancreatitis that kept him away from the sport for several months.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Jagran, Damir shared his thoughts ahead of his Tennis Premier League debut.

Since this is the league's seventh season, what has your association with it been so far, especially now that you will be representing Mumbai as a player?

Damir Džumhur: It is the first time for me playing in the Tennis Premier League. I heard many good things about it, and I know it is already the seventh season, with several players I know having played and really enjoyed their time in India. I have been to India before to play the Chennai Open a long time ago, but I have not been there for some time, and this will be my first time coming to Ahmedabad to play the league.

How did you first hear about the league, and what convinced you to come to India and join as a player this year?

Damir Džumhur: I heard many positive stories from other players, and I know that every year strong players participate. This season, there are many very good players, including several in the top 50, which makes the league very strong and competitive. I also know there are still some players who have not yet signed their contracts and may join, including one of my very good friends, Márton Fucsovics, who is also around the top 50, so strong names keep coming in and make that week in India full of big tennis stars.

Looking back now, how would you describe your season in terms of level and confidence compared with previous years?

Damir Džumhur: Overall, I am happy with the way I played throughout the season. In any year there are ups and downs, and that is normal in every sport, especially in tennis where the season runs from January to mid-November, but for most of the year I was very consistent and maintained a good level. I am satisfied with my performances and also with my year-end ranking, which is better than last year.

You mentioned last year was like another breakthrough season, with six Challenger titles and a return to the top 100. How did this year compare in terms of level and tournaments?

Damir Džumhur: Last year I won six Challengers and got back into the top 100, which felt like another breakthrough for me. This year I played the highest-level events and competed in bigger tournaments, and I think I played many very good matches even if there are still areas to improve, such as closing out some tight ones. Knowing there is room for improvement is positive, because if I keep going like this, next year can be even better, and what makes me particularly happy is that my level stayed stable all year without big ups and downs and that I stayed healthy enough to play the full season.

How important has that health and consistency been, especially in a sport like tennis where there is always another week and another tournament?

Damir Džumhur: Being healthy is crucial, because in tennis there is always another chance the following week if you are able to compete. When injuries keep coming back, life on tour becomes much more difficult, so avoiding long injury breaks has helped me a lot. I really hope next year will be similar in that sense: staying healthy, avoiding injuries, and giving myself another opportunity to produce strong results across the season.

You had an epic comeback story after some serious health issues. How did that experience change your perspective on tennis and on your career?

Damir Džumhur: I spent almost six years in the top 100, reaching a career-high of 23 in 2018, but from 2020, the COVID year, things became more complicated, with injuries affecting me through 2020 and 2021. In 2022 I had major health issues, was out of competition from April until the end of August, and at that time I was not sure if I would be able to come back to professional tennis at all. When I did come back, my main idea was not necessarily to return to the top 100 but simply to play, enjoy tournaments again, and see what I was capable of, and step by step my ranking climbed, the pieces started to fit together, 2023 was already good, and 2024 became a real breakout year.

You are not from a big tennis country with many ATP events or wild cards available. How did that influence the way you had to rebuild your ranking?

Damir Džumhur: Coming from a small country without many ATP tournaments or wild cards means I had to do it almost the same way as when I was 18 or 19 years old. I had to go back to Challengers, win many matches and many tournaments to climb the rankings again and re-enter the top 100. It is a tough route, but in 2024 it all came together, and I enjoyed the journey back, proving to myself that I could still compete at a high level and now even push further as my ranking continues to rise.

Your career-high ranking is 23. After everything you have been through, do you think you can reach or surpass that level again?

Damir Džumhur: The tennis level is still there, and that gives me confidence. My main goal, though, is not strictly to beat my career-high ranking but to stay where I am or reach the top 50, which I feel was already possible this year with a few more wins. If I can be a bit luckier with draws at Grand Slams and Masters—avoiding top players in the first or second round—and get a few more victories at those big events, there is a realistic chance to move higher again, maybe even toward the top 30, but the clear target for next year is to break into the top 50.

After such a serious health scare, what was the hardest part of the comeback: regaining physical fitness or the mental endurance to play long matches and close out tight finishes?

Damir Džumhur: Both aspects were challenging, but physically it was probably the toughest part. After the health issues, I was 10 to 11 kilograms under my usual weight, and since I do not gain weight easily, it was hard to build back my body and then rebuild my physical condition on top of that. Being four months out of competition and doing almost nothing meant I had to start from zero, and even after a month and a half of training and playing some tournaments I was still far from my best shape, only really feeling physically strong again at the start of 2023, while mentally I had to relearn how to deal with pressure, stress, and closing matches, but with a different perspective that made it a little easier than before.

If we look at your career retrospectively, you have been the highest-ranked Bosnian player and are widely seen as the face of Bosnian tennis. Does that bring extra responsibility, being the first to break that wall for your country?

Damir Džumhur: Personally, I do not think about it in terms of extra pressure, but I am aware that I have made history for Bosnia in many ways. I was the first Bosnian player to compete at the Olympic Games, the first to reach the third round of a Grand Slam, the first to qualify and win an ATP title, and there are many milestones like that which make me proud. At the same time, I focus on doing the best I can for my country, especially through Davis Cup, where I have been playing since I was 18—around 15 years now—and we are competing well in Group I and often fighting for a place in the World Group, so representing Bosnia and making people proud means more to me than any label.

You mentioned Davis Cup and your pride in representing Bosnia. How do you balance personal goals with that sense of national representation?

Damir Džumhur: Playing for Bosnia in Davis Cup has always been a big motivation, not a burden. I am proud to come from a small country that has been through a lot, and being able to bring positive stories and results through tennis feels very special. The history and records are just one part of it; what truly matters to me is continuing to give my best for the national team and for the people back home.

Finally, which players influenced you the most when you were starting your career as a tennis player?

Damir Džumhur: Roger Federer has always been my idol in tennis, both for the way he plays and the way he behaves on court, even though it is almost impossible to copy his style. Because my game is different, other players such as Carlos Moyá and especially David Ferrer had a big influence on me, and if I had to name someone whose game I am closest to, it would probably be Ferrer, or even Guillermo Coria, because I admired Ferrer’s fighting spirit, work ethic, and what he achieved in an era dominated by the three greatest players of all time, to the point that without Rafael Nadal he might have won Roland Garros, and after practicing and playing with him I respected him even more, so while Federer is my overall idol, Ferrer is the one whose game I tried most to emulate.

In one word it might be difficult, but which surface do you actually prefer to play on most: clay, grass, or hard court?

Damir Džumhur: It is hard to pick just one surface. In the last few years my best results have come on clay, where I have been playing very well, but earlier in my career I won two ATP titles on indoor hard courts and one ATP title on grass. I feel I can play at a similar level on all surfaces, but at the moment clay would probably be my favorite.

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