Damir Dzumhur, a fixture in the men’s top 100 over the past decade, was born in Sarajevo while missiles rained down on the Bosnia-Herzegovina capital in 1992 as the former Yugoslavia dissolved.
Two days after Dzumhur and his mother were collected from the maternity ward, the hospital was bombed.
When Dzumhur was old enough to pick up a racquet, there were very few courts available. Most had been bombed.
“My first steps on the court were in a small school gym, which was used for football and basketball, not tennis,” the world number 66 told BBC Sport.
“They just put the net in the middle and that’s where I started playing.
“I didn’t play on a proper hard court until I was 12 at a junior tournament in France.”
Being born in a country without tennis pedigree means there is usually a lack of financial support from their federation and fewer role models to follow into the game.
Hantuchova believes players who have come from humble beginnings develop a resilience, discipline and mentality that is “not seen that often these days”.
“When I decided I wanted to play tennis, I asked my parents if – one day – I could have a chance of getting a racquet,” said Hantuchova, who describes her Bratislava upbringing as “simple”.
“I knew I had to wait until their monthly salary allowed them to do so.”
Novak Djokovic, considered by many as the greatest player of all time after winning 24 major titles, has blazed a trail for Serbia.
As a child, Djokovic was forced to take shelter in Belgrade as Nato bombed the Serbian capital between March and June 1999.
“My upbringing during several wars in the 90s was a difficult time,” the 38-year-old said in 2020.
“We had to wait in line for bread, milk, water, some basic things in life. That probably has been my foundation, the fact I came from literally nothing.”
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