It would be easy to discount Australia's chances of winning a tennis medal in Rio now that Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios have ruled themselves out.
But the nation's best chance has always been Adam Kellerman, and now more than ever he is ready to lead Australia on the biggest stage.
Kellerman is the world No. 11 in wheelchair tennis and is in career-best form as the Rio Paralympics approach. After a fourth place finish in the Korea Open last month, the 25-year old is aware he is the country's best chance at winning a medal since 2004. 
"Winning a medal is definitely possible," he said. "It'll be hard work, but I know that I'm capable of beating a lot of players above me. I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing."
Ranked No. 8 just a month ago, Kellerman is fully prepared for a Rio tilt that could land Australia its first medal in any tennis event since 2004, when David Hall won silver, and Alicia Molik, Daniela Di Toro, Anthony Bonaccurso and Hall all won bronze.
An avid footballer in his youth, Kellerman had just started ice hockey when he noticed a growing pain in his right hip. Despite playing on with the pain, he eventually went for scans that confirmed he had Ewing's Sarcoma in his hip, a form of bone cancer.
Aged 13, the St. Ives local went through chemotherapy and a multitude of surgeries to counteract the disease and fight the ensuing infections.
Three years after he was diagnosed, doctors removed his right hip. In that time, he had gone through 20 operations.
But where others may have given up the fight, Kellerman was just beginning. He started playing wheelchair tennis and soon had the world watching as he stormed his way up the rankings.
"I found tennis at the end of the year after I finished treatment, so I can't say the HSC was my real priority," he explains. "I just wanted to play tennis."
Kellerman's rise up the rankings started before the 2012 London Paralympics. He entered the year ranked 61, not high enough to qualify, but was 23rd by the time London began. He made the round of 16, falling to eventual bronze medallist Ronald Vink.
Now, the softly-spoken Kellerman is heading to Rio as the top-ranked Australian. He is also joined by Ben Weekes in the doubles, who was also his partner in London.
Despite never playing tennis seriously prior to his illness - just "having a bash with friends and family" on the court - Kellerman found his niche quickly. And he is relishing the chance to represent his country once again on the world's biggest stage.
"There's something really special about putting on the green and gold and playing for Australia," he said. "I just seem to push myself extra hard when I'm playing for Australia."
While Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios have created headlines for the wrong reasons, Kellerman encourages people to support the young brash stars of the game, rather than criticising them.
"They're just young," he said. "They've got thousands of people who know their name. They get caught up in the flashing lights and just need to focus on the tennis. I don't have any negative opinions of them at all.
"In my opinion, just let them get it out of their system, and then they should just bring it back to the tennis. The public should just be supportive."
Kellerman embodies the never-say-die Australian spirit. And as he prepares for his second Paralympics, his message to everyone, disabled and able-bodied, is to chase their dream, no matter the odds.
"There's a lot of people out there who have an idea or a dream, whether it be sport or not, whether they are disabled or not, and they should just give it a go," he said.
"They shouldn't let anything hold them back, and really go after what they want."