Aleksandar Vukic admits he'd probably be sitting behind a desk, wearing a suit and clocking on 9-to-5 had he chosen the well-worn tennis path.
In a sport stacked with child prodigies handed a racquet from birth and lighting up the tour before they'd finished school, Vukic knew that path was never his.
The late-blooming 29-year-old built a safety net by completing a finance degree at the University of Illinois, echoing the academic path of his parents, both computer engineers.
There, Vukic combined study with tennis in the NCAA Big Ten Conference.
"Everyone develops differently," Vukic said after his second successive straight-sets win to start the Adelaide International.
"I wasn't a good junior. Others are different - [players] like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. I probably wouldn't still be playing if I went straight to pro. Everyone has their own path.
"In general, the men's game is getting more physical. Hardly anyone breaks through that young anymore. And if they do, they're going to be top-five in the world."
For much of the 2010s, Vukic plied his trade in off-Broadway Challenger and ITF events.
Scraping together minimal amounts of prize money here and there, the Sydneysider often wondered if he was destined to put to use his university qualifications much earlier than planned.
"After my third year in college, I was pretty happy to leave it," Vukic said. "I was ranked 500 to 600, but I just wanted my finance degree, to be honest.
"I was just thinking, 'what if I get injured tomorrow?' That would have been it [the end]. I was pretty conscientious about that. It was always in the back of my mind."
Vukic patiently played the long game – and now it's paying off.
In 2021, aged 24, Vukic won his first ATP match, in 2022 he reached his first career quarterfinal – at Adelaide – and in 2023 he broke into the top 50, while reaching his maiden final, in Atlanta.
Vukic enjoyed his best Grand Slam at last year's Australian Open, advancing to the third round and earning himself a 'marathon man' reputation.
He beat Damir Dzumhur and 22nd seed Sebastian Korda in five sets, before taking 15th seed Jack Draper all the way to 10-8 super tiebreak.
"I found out a lot about myself and a lot about my body," Vukic said. "Now that the body's pretty good at pushing myself and recovering, I felt like the first five-setter was the toughest, then I felt like the body knew what to do.
"That's kind of what I'm feeling in these matches as well.
"My last five AO matches have been five sets, so I will be trying to cut that back to give my team and family less heart attacks."
Vukic is now in the Adelaide International quarterfinals for the second time, set to face second-seeded American Tommy Paul at The Drive on Thursday afternoon.
The Aussie will be the underdog on paper but will have the parochial home crowd in his corner.
He will also be armed with belief after adding two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to his growing list of high-profile victims, which include Korda (twice), Alexander Bublik (twice), Casper Ruud, Frances Tiaofe, Cam Norrie and Karen Khachanov.
"I've been on the main stage for a few years now," Vukic said. "You learn a lot. I feel like I have a good amount of experience now.
"Beating Ruud, beating Tsitsipas on Tuesday night, beating Korda in five sets, pushing Draper, everything adds up.
"Stepping onto the court, I feel very comfortable and confident that if I play my game, I give myself a shot to win."