Comebacks: reality or delusion?

There have been some notable comebacks in professional tennis, and on the women's side, none as notable as that of Jennifer Capriati, the genuine teenage phenom who left the game at about the time she was expected to peak. When Capriati returned two years later, people were surprised, and they expected little of her. She went on to win three majors and an Olympic gold medal.

Another player who has had a successful comeback is Li Na, who left the game, thinking she would never return, then was urged by her husband to re-enter the tour. So after a two-year layoff, she did, and she played herself into the top 20. Last year, Li was out for months with two very serious injuries, and after each of those, she showed the resiliance that got her a high ranking after missing two years of tour play.

Daniela Hantuchova never left the tour, but she left the top ten for a very long time. It took her a few years to regain a high (though not as high as before) ranking, and--though her trials did not cure her of her unfortunate choking habit--she is nevertheless to be commended for working so hard to get back to the near-top.

Martina Navratilova never returned to singles competition after she retired, but she did return to doubles play years later and was a stunning success all over again.

But others have not been so fortunate. Former world number 4 Jelena Dokic has been playing her heart out in challengers lately, but not much seems to come of it. The same goes for Elena Bovina, who was number 14 in the world, took a very long injury time-out, and has never been able to get her career going again. Kimiko Date, also a former world number 4, made a comeback at age 37. She was rolling over opponents in challengers, but now that she is back on the regular tour, she has trouble getting out of the first round. Lindsay Davenport did not think she would come back after giving birth, but she did. The problem is that her banged-up body will not permit her to be very competitive. Nathalie Dechy, after she returned from a long injury timeout, decided to concentrate on doubles, in which she has had quite a bit of success.

The most frustrating story is that of Martina Hingis. Putting the drug charges aside, Hingis's comeback--which at first was extremely impressive, especially after a 3 1/2 year layoff--was hampered by a troublesome hip, and by her failure to improve her serve. That serve had actually gotten a bit better before the hip began acting up, and before she was bounced off the tour for allegedly using a "performance-enhancing" drug. We'll never know if Hingis would have continued to work on her serve: Many years ago, Melanie Molitor said she would not have coached Martina if she had not been her daughter because Martina had low motivation for doing off-court work. My own take on the matter is that if Hingis had significantly improved her serve, she could have won some big titles again.

Coming back isn't easy. There are many issues with which a player has to contend: vulnerability to injury, lack of match toughness, changes in the game itself, a lowering of confidence, and perhaps a slowing down caused by age.

Every year, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour presents a Best Comeback award to a player who has come back from a difficult season the year before. There are a few players on the tour who deserve this recognition, but if I were presenting it, I'd probably give it to Flavia Pennetta, whose return from injury was very difficult, but she has accomplished so much.