Comebacks are nothing new in tennis. There’s fairly a historical past of that kind of factor, together with by stars resembling Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Bjorn Borg, Kim Clijsters and Andy Murray.
Perhaps that is why so many followers of Serena Williams maintain out hope she’ll return after taking part in her final match a yr in the past on the U.S. Open.
Williams recently gave birth to her second child so she won’t be at Flushing Meadows, however this yr’s event options a number of gamers who left the tour for a big period of time and now are again. The Day 1 schedule included Ajla Tomljanovic — who beat Williams within the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s farewell contest final September however has been sidelined by harm since November — and 2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady (injured) within the afternoon. Then 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic (injured) and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki (retirement) had been scheduled to look at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday evening.
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“I feel like people just don’t know what to do with their lives,” 2020 U.S. Open semifinalist Brady mentioned with a hearty chortle throughout an interview with AP.
“Maybe they see prize money going up and think they can get back to where they were.”
The 28-year-old from Pennsylvania performed her first WTA tour match since 2021 this month after being sidelined due to a fracture in her proper knee and torn tissue in her left foot.
“Because of where I left off — semifinals of a Grand Slam; final of a Grand Slam — there’s expectations and goals,” she mentioned.
“But I don’t want to really put pressure on myself to get back there right away.”
Tuesday will welcome others who had been absent for some time, together with Barbora Strycova (retirement) and three-time main semifinalist Elina Svitolina (being pregnant).
“It’s very alluring and attractive to think, What would it be like to play again?'” mentioned two-time Slam runner-up Kevin Anderson, a 37-year-old from South Africa who not too long ago ended his retirement after almost 1 1/2 years away however didn’t make it out of qualifying in New York.
“Some people find real meaning in something they’re passionate about soon after they leave tennis. I haven’t found that yet.”
Much because the circumstances that immediate some people to cease and people who lead some to renew can fluctuate, so, too, can the on-court leads to Part II of a profession.
The 2014 runner-up at Flushing Meadows, Kei Nishikori had hip surgical procedure in January 2022, then returned to the ATP Tour this July, however has been out all of August with a knee harm and withdrew from the U.S. Open on Sunday.
“Some people probably stop and feel that they’ve had enough — whether that’s through performance or that’s through their body hurting and aching — and then maybe after an extended period of time away from the sport, they start to miss it again,” mentioned Murray, a three-time main champion who was feted throughout a retirement ceremony on the 2019 Australian Open however finally performed once more because of a man-made hip.
“It’s a pretty brutal sport in the sense of how long the season is and everything. If you’ve been doing that for like 11, 12 years straight, maybe mentally some players just feel like they need a break … and then refresh and maybe give it another shot,” Murray mentioned.
“Some of the women have had children and then made the call to come back.”
Wozniacki stop in 2020 to begin a household together with her husband, former NBA participant David Lee. Now 33, with two younger youngsters, Wozniacki jumped into competitors this month. Svitolina, 28, was gone for a couple of yr whereas she and her husband, tennis participant Gael Monfils, had their first baby; simply three months after returning, she reached Wimbledon’s semifinals. Strycova, 37, retired in 2021, had a child, acquired again on tour this April and gained the ladies’s doubles trophy at Wimbledon.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be having a child and coming back. I’ll just say that. It’s a lot of work. I don’t know how they do it,” mentioned Jessica Pegula, a 29-year-old American ranked No. 3.
“To see that being a possibility now for women is great. … I’m sure it’s such a cool experience for them to come back and have their children watch them play.”
Not everybody’s open to the concept of bidding adieu after which saying, “I’m back!”
John Isner, a 38-year-old who will retire after the U.S. Open, was requested whether or not there’s any likelihood he may observe this comeback development.
“I’m done,” Isner replied.
“It won’t happen with me.”