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A Look at WTA Comebacks

June 12, 2011 By Tennis Panorama News

Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates winning a point against Russia’s Vera Zvonareva during the women’s singles final at the 2010 Wimbledon tennis championships in London in this July 3, 2010 file photo. Williams has pulled out of the French Open because she has not fully recovered from health issues, organisers said on May 12, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/Files (BRITAIN – Tags: SPORT TENNIS)

 

By Jack Cunniff

When Serena Williams takes the court at the 2011 Eastbourne tournament this week, she will be returning to competitive tennis for the first time in almost a full year (Wimbledon 2010).  How successful will Williams be after being away from the sport due to injury and illness?

Over the years, we’ve seen a number of women’s Grand Slam champions take an extended leave from the tour, whether due to injury, retirement, or just a break from the game.  Take a look at how they fared after their prolonged absences.

Get other tennis facts and trivia at @JRCunniff

Tracy Austin
Last Event: Eastbourne, June 1983
Length of absence: Austin was absent for most of 9 years, with two stalled comeback attempts during that period. She played two singles events in 1984, and two singles events in 1989). Her 1988-89 comeback was derailed by injuries sustained in an auto accident.
Return event: Indian Wells, February 1993, at age 30. Defeated World No. 12 K. Maleeva en route to 3R.
Highlights of comeback: Made it back to No. 78 in the world, playing 14 events while back on tour for 18 months.  She retired after Eastbourne in 1994.

 

Jennifer Capriati
Last Event: US Open, August 1993
Length of absence: Capriati spent more than 2 years on sabbatical, playing only one event (1994 Philadelphia) during her time away.
Return event: Essen, Germany, February 1996, a month before her 20th birthday.  Advanced to QF before losing to No. 12 Novotna in the QF.
Highlights of comeback: It took a few years for Capriati to recapture her top form, but she won three Grand Slam titles (2001-02 Australian Open, 2001 French Open) and achieved the No. 1 ranking.

 

Kim Clijsters
Last Event: Warsaw, April 2007
Length of absence: Clijsters retired for 2+ years, giving birth to daughter Jada during her time away.
Return event: Cincinnati, August 2009, at age 26.  Defeated three Top Twenty players before losing to World No. 1 Safina in the QF.
Highlights of comeback: Clijsters has won three Grand Slam singles titles since her return (2009 US Open, 2010 US Open, 2011 Australian Open), becoming the first mother to win a major event since Evonne Goolagong (Wimbledon 1980).  She has won seven titles in her still-active comeback, and regained the No. 1 ranking.

 

Lindsay Davenport
Last Event: Beijing, September 2006
Length of absence: Davenport took a one-year break to have her first child, son Jagger
Return event: Bali, September 2007, at age 31.  Won the title, defeating  No. 3 Jankovic en route.
Highlights of comeback: While Lindsay won four minor titles in her year back on tour, she struggled with injuries (one retirement, two withdrawals).  Her final singles appearance was the 2008 US Open.

 

Steffi Graf
Last Event: French Open, June 1997
Length of absence: Graf was sidelined for more than eight months with a knee injury.
Return event: Hannover, February 1998, at age 28.  Lost in QF to Appelmans.
Highlights of comeback: Graf played only two events before taking another three months off due to her injury.  She returned again in June 1998 for her final year on tour, highlighted by a French Open title and Wimbledon RU in 1999.

 

Justine Henin
Last Event: Berlin, May 2008
Length of absence: Henin retired for 18 months, despite being the world No. 1 and the current holder of two major championships (2007 French and US Opens).
Return event: Brisbane, January 2010, at age 27.  Lost in F to Clijsters.
Highlights of comeback: Henin won two titles and advanced to the 2010 Australian Open finals, before injuring her elbow after a fall at Wimbledon.  She made one more appearance after Wimbledon (2011 Australian Open, 3R) before retiring for a second time.

 

Martina Hingis
Last Event: Filderstadt, October 2002
Length of absence: Hingis spent more than three years retired before making full-time return. Although she played one event in January 2005.
Return event: Gold Coast, January 2006, at age 25.  Lost in SF to Pennetta
Highlights of comeback: Hingis won three events, including 2006 Italian Open, and reached three Grand Slam QFs and No. 6 ranking in her return.  She retired again in September 2007 after a positive drug test result, which she denied but refused to fight.

 

Martina Navratilova
Last Event: Virginia Slims Championships, November 1994
Length of absence: Navratilova was retired for almost 10 years in singles, although she continued to play o tour in doubles during part that time.
Return event: Amelia Island, April 2004 at age 47.  Lost 1R to Sequera.
Highlights of comeback: Navratilova played only five events in April through June of 2004 and won only two matches, but the highlight of her comeback was a 1R win at Wimbledon, making her the oldest player to win a main tour singles match in the Open era.

 

Monica Seles
Last Event: Hamburg, April 1993
Length of absence: Seles was gone from the game for more than two years, after a tragic courtside stabbing during a match in Hamburg.
Return event: Canadian Open, August 1995, at age 21.  Won the event, beating two Top Ten players en route, and followed with a run to the US Open finals.
Highlights of comeback: Seles won 21 more singles titles, including one major event (1996 Australian Open).  Injuries finally ended her career after the 2003 French Open.

 

Filed Under: Contributors, Features, Front Page News, tennis news Tagged With: comebacks, Contributors, Eastbourne, Jack Cunniff, Serena Williams, Wimbledon, WTA

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