Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki both faced high-profile doping suspensions in 2013. Cilic returned strong, working his way back towards the top of the sport and achieving a breakthrough with a U. S. Open title last season. Now, Troicki looks to duplicate Cilic’s comeback with one of his own.

Their bans stemmed from two separate and completely different incidents. In 2013, Cilic tested positive for traces of nikethamide and was subsequently suspended for four months after he won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Meanwhile, Troicki’s ban came from a failure to submit a blood sample at the Monte-Carlo Masters in the same year, which resulted in a one-year ban from the sport. Both saw their rankings drop during their suspensions.

However, Troicki felt the effects of his ban more severely than Cilic. When Troicki returned to the game in July 2014, he had slipped to world No. 847 and was forced to retreat to Challenger events, while using wild card and qualifiers to enter more prominent tournaments. Having time to reflect on his career during his suspension, the Serb was not deterred from seeking a return to his old form. “After I got suspended, I had some time to think about everything. When you don’t have something that you really love, you start missing it and you want to get back and be even better,” he said.

After his return, it did not take long before Troicki began to make his presence known. He won Challenger events in Como, Italy and Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then, just two months into his return to the tour, Troicki defeated David Ferrer after gaining entry into the Shenzhen tournament in the fall. Finding success in China, he remained in the country, where he defeated Mikhail Youzhny in Beijing as his comeback continued.

Building upon his success, Troicki qualified for Vienna in October of last year and made a semifinal run, defeating Lukas Rosol along the way before falling to Andy Murray. Troicki would finish out the season in Challenger events, earning valuable points as play headed towards the 2015 season. In just five months, the 28-year-old had broken back into the top 100.

Impressively, the Serb picked up where he left off when he returned to action this season. After failing to qualify at Brisbane, Troicki worked his way through the qualifying draw and won the championship in Sydney, where he would defeat four players ranked in or near the top 50. His post-suspension success earned his entry into the main draw at the Australian Open. There, he would defeat Jiri Vesely and Leonardo Mayer before falling to Tomas Berdych, who would ultimately advance to the semifinals.

Some have pondered whether Troicki could overcome the effects of his suspension and eventually return to his previous form, but “the goal is to enter the top 10 and get into the Davis Cup team to play for my country,” he said. In 2011, Troicki peaked at world No. 12, and after a drop that may have crippled some on the Tour, he has now worked his way back to being the 44th-ranked player in the world. Within six months, Troicki has gained 803 ranking positions and can now bypass Challenger events, placing his focus on ATP World Tour events once again.

The Belgrade native credited his countryman Novak Djokovic for helping with his speedy rise. Upon returning from his suspension, Troicki practiced with the world No. 1, and it was Djokovic who spoke out in his defense, calling into question testing policies that led to his ban. Troicki still denies his refusal to submit a sample but has moved on from the incident.

Clearly, time away from the game re-energized Troicki ,who has implied that he now aims to enjoy competition and can play pressure-free. Now in his prime and with a renewed passion for the game, a breakthrough to the top 10 appears to be a reasonable goal.