The first time Mirjana Lucic-Baroni stepped onto the clay courts of Roland-Garros in 1999, she was thrust into the spotlight in a big way.

Then just 17 years of age and known simply as Mirjana Lucic, she took on defending champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and was soundly beaten by the No.7 seed, who had won her first of three French Open titles as a 17-year-old herself, back in 1989.

Sanchez Vicario is long gone as a competitor, but Lucic-Baroni persists; 16 years on and now aged 33, she still competes on the WTA Tour and holds down a top 70 ranking.

"I remember playing Arantxa on Chatrier," Lucic told rolandgarros.com.

"Beautiful court and beautiful ambiance. I've played on that court a few times, always nice memories."

The Croat will begin her tenth campaign on the terre battue of Paris on Sunday against American Lauren Davis. For someone who debuted at Roland-Garros nearly two decades ago, that actually may not sound like many appearances.

But that's part of the Lucic narrative that makes the big-hitting baseliner such a compelling figure in the sport.

Hardened tennis fans will remember the prodigious teenager who, playing in the first ever WTA event in Bol in her homeland, won the title at just 15 years of age in 1997. When she defended her crown the following year, she appeared destined for stardom. In 1999, she broke through at Grand Slam level when she stormed to the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Lucic-Baroni would peak at world No.32 in 1998, but not long after her breakthtaking Wimbledon run, things started going south as her troubled family life began to take its toll. Losing 11 of her first 12 matches in 2000 and winning just five overall that season, her ranking plummeted. Soon she was outside the world's top 200, and from 2004 to 2006 she had no ranking.

But following her fall came a tale of inspirational recovery. The Croat persisted, and after years of grinding out matches at lowly ITF level and in WTA qualifying, she began to experience slow but steadily-building success. Two ITF titles in 2010 - her first professional titles in 12 years - were followed by her qualification at the US Open that year and an unlikely return to the top 100.

After hovering around that mark for the next three seasons, Lucic-Baroni capped a fairytale comeback in 2014 when she fought through to the fourth round at the US Open - defeating No.2 seed Simona Halep along the way - and then beating Venus Williams in the final at Quebec City, her first WTA title in 16 years. It is the longest gap between WTA titles in history.

She would finish the season ranked 61st, and earn WTA Comeback Player of the Year Honours.

So now Lucic-Baroni's attention turns to the first round of Roland-Garros, where she takes on unseeded Davis on Court 17.

She endured an eight-year absence from the tournament between 2003 and 2011, but has contested the main draw at the past four editions, falling in the first round each time. Three of those years saw her taking on seeded opponents, one of whom was Maria Sharapova, who beat the Croat in straight sets in 2011.

Although Davis, on paper at least, represents a lesser threat, Lucic-Baroni is wary of all opponents as she attempts to win a main draw match in Paris for the first time in 13 years. Her best result came in 2001, when she reached the third round as a qualifier before being stopped by eventual champion Jennifer Capriati.

"I feel that competition is at a very high level right now (compared with my debut in 1999). Everyone including qualifiers is a tough opponent. Tennis is changing and evolving, everyone is getting bigger and stronger and faster," she observed.

"I have had some very tough opponents in the first rounds of Roland-Garros over the years but I feel it's very important to approach every opponent with the same mindset and try to focus on your own play rather than the opponent."

After the travails of an emotional career, it seems a victory in itself that she is simply here in Paris competing.

There is no place Lucic-Baroni would rather be at this time of year.

"Being in Paris is beautiful," she said.

"Springtime in Paris playing Roland-Garros is always a very special experience."