US Open: Hungry Dodig out to fillet Andy Murray

In an era when countries such as Britain, Australia and the US are struggling to produce A-list talents, the story of Ivan Dodig - the burly Croatian who plays Andy Murray on Wednesday - might offer a clue as to where we are going wrong.

Dodig could once have been termed "the tennis tramp", because he spent his early years on the tour as a player of no fixed abode. While his better-funded contemporaries were checking into smart hotels, he was looking for a quiet spot to doss down for the night. His diverse lodgings included bus stations, airports and the back seat of his old Opel car. "I had a little bit of a tough time in juniors and Futures tournaments," Dodig has said, with touching understatement.

"I had some financial situations after the war, but unfortunately, I did not get any support. I had many situations in tournaments having to play without money and many times without anywhere to sleep."

If you thought the training sequences in Rocky were gritty, imagine what it must have been like for Dodig. A couple of bad results would not just cost him a few ranking points; they would leave him too short of money to book his flight to the next event.

This was motivation of the highest order, and it may offer a hint to why the former Yugoslavia is turning out so many fine players. In a society still recovering from the ravages of war, tennis has become an acknowledged route out of poverty.

The most famous Serbian player, Novak Djokovic, came from a reasonably secure background. But he could not have trained at Nicky Pilic's tennis academy in Germany without the financial support of his parents, who ran a pizza parlour in a ski resort, and who mortgaged everything to pay his way.

Is it any wonder that, as Djokovic told The Daily Telegraph in May, "I felt and I knew I needed to succeed, in order to have a better lifestyle for my family". Dodig's own journey has certainly improved his lot dramatically, thanks largely to the $645,000 (pounds 407,654) he earned in an excellent 2011 season. (That one fine season represents two-thirds of his entire career earnings.) In November, he climbed as high as No 32 in the rankings before a back injury dragged him down to No 118.

Murray has not faced 27-year-old Dodig before but clearly respects him, for his tennis ability and for the painful road he travelled to reach the big time. "He won against Rafa Nadal in Canada last year," said Murray. "He's a big guy who serves and volleys a lot, especially on his first serve, and you don't see that much. He moves really well - on a hard court he can pretty much do the splits - and is a tough guy to play against because he's very unorthodox.

"Ivan slept in train stations and all sorts when he was younger because he didn't have money," Murray added. "Eventually people break through because they are hungry and don't have anything else to fall back on."

Desperation is a powerful force. It cuts through all the chatter: the whingeing about the long hours and the air miles, the vacillation about which coach to work with, the haggling over contracts. Yet so many gifted young players come across as ungrateful, and not just in Britain but in other well-resourced nations.

In the circumstances, we should be all the more thankful that Murray has transcended the norm. In his case, desperation didn't flow from hardship - although he hardly came from money - but from his own determination to make the most of his ability. He doesn't drink, he has only ever had one serious girlfriend, and when he says "The last thing I've ever thought about on a tennis court is money," you have to believe him, since he resists any temptation to become a tax exile. No, Murray is here to play tennis, not to collect the ancillary benefits. He and Dodig speak the same language.

"For me it's great," was Dodig's reaction to his next matchup, after he had brushed past Japan's Hiroki Moriya for the loss of three games. "I will be really, really happy to play on a big court. I have some experience with some other guys, but with him it's first time for me."

Murray and Dodig will play last on Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight, in the small hours of Thursday morning UK time. Before that, Laura Robson will meet three-time former US Open champion Kim Clijsters.

Meanwhile, British No 2 Anne Keothavong went out in the first round yesterday after a 6-2, 6-0 defeat by No 6 seed Angelique Kerber.