Laslo Djere couldn't hide his happiness after winning his first ATP title in five years in Santiago as the 29-year-old revealed there had been "many times" over the last few years when he feared his career was coming to an end.
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Six years ago, the Serb put up a great run at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro to lift his maiden title and a career-high ranking of No. 27 soon followed.
In 2020, he won his second title in Sardinia.
This past Sunday, Djere finally lifted a trophy again after edging out Sebastian Baez 6-4 3-6 7-5 in the final of the ATP 250 tournament in Santiago.
A couple of times, I thought maybe the end of my career was closer than I had believed. I always thought I wanted to play until I was 35 or 36, but I really started to doubt it, the world No. 74 revealed in his post-final presser.
Djere: My recovery wasn't easy and I also felt pain in some other parts of my body
After landing his second title, the Serb started to deal with major elbow issues and ultimately required surgery.
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That hampered his progress, and he even fell out of the top-100 last August.
But in the last two weeks, Djere's situation completely changed - first, he made the Buenos Aires semifinal and then made it all the way in Santiago.
And now, the three-time ATP winner is also back in the top-100.
The recovery wasnt easy, not only because of my elbow. I felt new pains in different parts of my body every time I stepped on the court," he explained.
"I got injured a couple of times, and now this title has come something I really didnt expect. It was a surprise."
For Djere, the ideal case scenario is that he stays healthy and continues to build on his nice form.
