#1. Lucic-Baroni took a long hiatus from the sport owing to personal and financial problems
Lucic-Baroni has gained a lot of recognition for being a giant killer at the Australian Open. However, most people do not know the tragic story which propelled her to take a long hiatus from the sport. In the late 90s, Lucic-Baroni stated in an interview that from a very young age, she was subject to physical and mental abuse by her father, Marinko. There were occasions where she ended up with a bleeding nose and any shortcomings at a tournament would result in her being beaten up by her father.Her father’s constant brutality eventually led the family to take refuge in America. Following her semi-final performance at Wimbledon, Lucic-Baroni had to deal with plenty of legal and financial problems as her father and nephew had been embezzling her prize money. In order to keep herself financially stable, Lucic-Baroni refrained from taking part in WTA tournaments and was active only on the ITF circuit. Her mental and financial struggle resulted in Lucic-Baroni being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.However, Lucic-Baroni returned back to Tour during 2009 and she has made a very strong comeback which she has justified through her performances in the Australian Open. Truly, one of the most inspiring comebacks after a tragic childhood.
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