Journey To Jeddah: Prizmic's push

Dino Prizmic was on the up Down Under to start the 2024 season. The 19-year-old Croatian began his year inside the Top 200 of the PIF ATP Rankings and qualified for the Australian Open, where he took a set off his idol, Novak Djokovic. His fearless performance earned the praise of the 24-time Grand Slam champ, who said it felt like he was playing himself in the mirror.

"I was very happy to share the court with the best player in the world," Prizmic said in filming for the ATP Tour's Journey to Jeddah series. "Now I need to work a lot and need to improve every day to constantly play against the best players."

The Croatian's ascent stalled due to injuries this year, which led to him missing chunks of the season and falling short of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. While he may not take the stage in Jeddah this season, Prizmic hopes to be a leading contender for the 20-and-under title next year.

"I'm a warrior on the court," said the Croatian, making his ambitions clear. "I try to play every shot like it's my last one."

Prizmic was a footballer first, until his sister's tennis inspired him to take the court. He was a natural from day one: "The coach said on the first day that I'm a good player and to just keep going," he recalled. "Today I play tennis and I enjoy every moment on the court."

He still incorporates football into his training, often warming up with football tennis. While his first sport was played on grass, the biggest result of his young career came on clay, when he won the 2023 Roland Garros boys' singles title

This year, his best weeks have come on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he reached two semi-finals and made two additional quarter-final runs. Three of those deep runs came late in the season, after a US Open qualifying defeat.

That strong finish could provide the perfect on ramp for the 2025 PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.