When an emergency biopsy on a lump on Vicky Duval's neck during the 2014 Wimbledon qualifying tournament led to a shocking cancer diagnosis and three months of debilitating chemotherapy, the then 18-year-old wondered if she would play tennis at the elite level again.
She has, but just a little, returning via a small ITF event in Pennsylvania in   August, before dipping her toe into US Open qualifying. On Tuesday, the world No.653 will use her protected ranking of 91st to return to a grand slam main draw, at Melbourne Park against Ukrainian 18th seed Elina Svitolina. Which means everything, but also nothing, in one sense, given what of far greater significance Duval has already overcome. 
"It feels amazing. I trained hard for this moment, so to be back here is really special for me," the bubbly American told Fairfax Media. "I mean, there's always gonna be the nerves and stuff when you're playing, but that goes back to perspective. It's just realising that there are worse things than losing a tennis match sometimes."
Far worse, with Duval having also endured extraordinary times in her childhood. Aged seven, the Miami-born daughter of Haitian parents was held at gunpoint with two of her cousins by robbers in Port-Au-Prince. Years later, her father, Jean-Maurica, was buried alive for 11 hours during the country's devastating 2014 earthquake, the damage to his left arm ending Dr Duval's career as an obstetrician and gynaecologist.
The Hodgkin's lymphoma was, fortunately, discovered in its early stages, even if the timing, like the news, was terrible. Duval, whose biggest career win had been her upset of former champion Sam Stosur in the first round of the 2013 US Open, was in the process of qualifying for her Wimbledon debut and had just cracked the top 100. Her ambition was to become the world No.1. It still is.
Although her recovery exceeded medical expectations, the brutal treatment drained and weakened her. "You can't really prepare yourself for how you're gonna feel in that kind of situation, but I always say that I was blessed with a spirit that allows me to just get through things, cos I just never felt like a victim, or I never put myself in a situation where my attitude would make me feel worse."
For a time, supported by her family, and willed back to good health by the likes of Venus Williams, she barely missed tennis at all. "It was nice to be, like, normal a little bit. I didn't miss it until I started hitting again, slowly. Then I was like 'oh, my gosh, I'm close, this is happening'.
"The prognosis was always good. [The doctors] just said for a normal person the road to recovery would be OK, but with what I want to do and the physical demands, it might be a little tougher. But I just handled it really well, so I'm really happy."
And "pretty close", she says, to regaining her pre-cancer fitness and strength, although Duval knows that regular tournament play will add another level of stress. By mid-year, she expects to be at 100 per cent again, and is determined to document via her personal YouTube channel what she knows will be a Wimbledon return heavy with feeling. "I think there's gonna be a lot of emotion, and I'm not sure which ones are gonna show up," she says.
Typically, when asked how her illness has changed her physically and emotionally, a beaming Duval declares: "For the better. I have a lot more perspective when I'm out here, a lot of gratitude for being able to come back and do what I love, so I just feel like I'm happier all around. I didn't feel like I could get happier, but I am. It was a really hard year, but I recovered really well, so I'm able to take a step forward now." Bravo, and good luck.