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). Â 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. Â 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. |