Delic on memories, commentators, Wimbledon and more

He hasn't played a sanctioned match since spontaneously inserting himself into Bosnia's Davis Cup lineup in 2015—a team captain can do that—but Amer Delic will soon return to competition. Not at the tour level, mind you. No, that's firmly in the rear-view mirror for the former world No. 60, but rather at the Pearson Ford Open in Indianapolis.

What’s your best memory of your ATP playing days? Your favorite accomplishment on court?

The first one, actually, does come from Indianapolis. In 2003, after I won the NCAAs, I won a Futures tournament in Peoria [Illinois]. I made my ATP debut in 2003 [in Indianapolis] and won my first-round match, beating Ricardo Mello in three sets. Then I played Paradorn Srichaphan. He was No. 9 at the time. I ended up, after having two match points, losing a tiebreak and lost the third set by one break. I thought maybe there is a little bit of hope for me out here.

You came out of the former Yugoslavia, as so many players did who represented that country, or later represented Bosnia or Serbia, or even the U.S. Who did you look up to?

When I was starting out, I picked up racquet in 1988. Goran Ivanisevic was making his run early, but believe it or not—a lot of people forget this—but Monica Seles played for Yugoslavia. I grew up watching more of her than Goran or somebody else. Then, obviously, Goran from there. The guys I was surrounded by—Todd Martin, MaliVai Washington—were just class acts. My idol growing up was Stefan Edberg.

What do you think of how Novak Djokovic, who draws huge crowds when he appears at big events in Serbia, has changed the public's morale there?

There’s no better representative of your country than a successful athlete on an international platform. The optics of the country have really turned around. The war in Serbia, Serbia was the aggressor, and that’s not forgotten. But people don’t think of that when you ask them about Serbia now. Novak Djokovic is what comes first to their mind. He’s associated with the country.

Are you an advocate for players going to college before entering the pros, like yourself and your fellow Illini, Rajeev Ram and Kevin Anderson?

Absolutely. It’s funny, I had this conversation with a gentleman who was Top 10 in the world and a semifinalist at Wimbledon. An Olympic medalist. Sharp guy, super well-liked. After injuries, he ended up going and getting his law degree at Columbia. Now he’s an investment banker. We were chatting and he said, his own words, “If I were to go back right now, I would be all over playing college tennis.” This is Mario Ancic.

The success rate [on the pro tour] of somebody coming from the juniors, it’s impossible. Now, Jack Sock is having success. But these guys, if they somehow get injured, they can’t go back to school, while somebody who goes to a university plays for a year and can turn pro and come back in six or seven years to finish up their degree.

You’re active on Twitter. How do you keep it real on social media?

I do. Honestly, I’ll put stuff up on Twitter or even on Instagram, and it’s all fun. It’s good not to take it too seriously. There are certain things I’ll voice my opinion on, and it’s a good platform. Most of the people on there read it for humor or some sort of information. I get financial news, weather, on Twitter. I feel like people get too serious or too negative, and I don’t have time for that.

What’s your take on the current crops of TV commentators?

I’m really good friends with Darren Cahill. He’s very credible and very sharp, prepared, and even his interaction on Twitter is great. The other guy I think is fantastic is Robbie Koenig. He’s a very crafty doubles guy and knows how to win a lot of matches.

Brad Gilbert is very opinionated but knows his stuff for the most part. He has an unbelievable track record as a coach. He sees the game very well. The combination of him, [Chris] Fowler, and Cahill,  I think that is the "A" team.

In the past I’ve kind of gotten into it with Pam Shriver. It goes back to a few years ago at the Australian Open. Now people expect me to react to her all the time. She’s more of a comedian now and plays into her role perfectly now that she understands that people are not going to take it too seriously.

So what’s next for you as tennis goes?

Tennis obviously will always be a big part of my life, and still is through that Davis Cup platform. I’ve actually transitioned more to a corporate setting. I work at a firm for a year and a half now, and that’s in finance.

I still sort of connect to people through tennis, but going forward, it will be a lot more fun tennis. I will still want to help out any of the kids even in Austin, or especially in Bosnia, open up some doors for them.

Finally, your Wimbledon predictions?

Serena [Williams] is obviously always a favorite everywhere she goes, especially on grass. She’s so powerful. First-strike tennis, overpowering a lot of the players. I’d love to see Venus also get through.

The men’s side is a much tougher discussion. A lot of guys are playing great. There are guys like [Nick] Kyrgios and [Tomas] Berdych who can overpower. Guys like Sock and Sam Querrey, I would like to see them make runs. Then there's [Andy] Murray and Djokovic and Federer. Out of those three, I’d say it’s Djokovic, Murray, Federer — in that order. The confidence that Djokovic has and what he’s trying to accomplish is pretty spectacular.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.