Players Making Comebacks From Retirement, Pregnancy, Or Injury Are Standard In US Open

In tennis, comebacks are nothing new. That behavior has a long history, including instances involving famous people like Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Bjorn Borg, Kim Clijsters, and Andy Murray. Since Serena Williams last competed in a match at the US Open one year ago, it may be why so many of her supporters are holding out hope that she’ll make a comeback.

Williams, who recently gave birth to her second child, will not be in Flushing Meadows, but this year’s event will feature several players who took a long break from the tour and are now returning.

Ajla Tomljanovic defeated Williams in the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s farewell match last September but has been sidelined by injury since November, and injured 2021 Australian Open semifinalist Jennifer Brady was on the Day 1 program.

Then, on Monday night, Louis Armstrong Stadium was to host 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic (injury) and 2018 Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki (retired).

Brady, a semifinalist at the 2020 US Open, stated during an interview with The Associated Press with a hearty grin,

“I feel like people just don’t know what to do with their lives.” “Maybe they see prize money going up and think they can get back to where they were.”

The Pennsylvanian player, 28, returned to the WTA tour last month for the first time since 2021 after missing the previous two seasons due to injuries to her left foot and right knee.

“Because of where I left off—the semifinals of a Grand Slam; the final of a Grand Slam—there are expectations and goals.” “But I don’t want to pressure myself to get back there right away.”

Barbora Strycova (retirement) and Elina Svitolina (pregnancy), who have advanced to three major semifinals, will return on Tuesday.

Kevin Anderson, a two-time Slam runner-up and a 37-year-old South African who just came out of retirement after over one and a half years away but failed to get through qualifying in New York.

“It’s very alluring and attractive to think, ‘What would it be like to play again?'” “Some people find real meaning in something they’re passionate about soon after they leave tennis. I haven’t found that yet.”

The on-court outcomes in Part II of a career can vary just as much as the factors that cause some people to stop playing and those that inspire others to pick it back up.

Kei Nishikori, who finished second at Flushing Meadows in 2014, underwent hip surgery in January 2022. He subsequently returned to the ATP Tour this past July, but he missed August due to a knee issue and withdrew from the US Open on Sunday.

With the help of an artificial hip, Murray, a three-time major winner honored during a retiring ceremony at the 2019 Australian Open, could play once more. Murray said,

“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.”
“It’s a pretty brutal sport in terms of how long the season is and everything. If you’ve been doing that for like 11, 12 years straight, maybe mentally some players feel like they need a break … and then refresh and maybe give it another shot.”
“Some of the women have had children and then made the call to come back.”

To begin a family with her husband, former N.B.A. player David Lee, Wozniacki retired in 2020. Wozniacki entered the competition this month at 33 and with two young children.

Following a year-long absence when she and her tennis player husband Gael Monfils welcomed their first child, Svitolina, 28, made it to the Wimbledon semifinals three months after her comeback. Strycova, 37, won Wimbledon’s women’s doubles championship this past April after returning to the circuit after retiring in 2021, having a kid, and having a baby.

As stated by Jessica Pegula, an American rated No. 3 at the age of 29,

“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.” “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 everyone is comfortable with the notion of saying goodbye and then returning.

The 38-year-old John Isner, who will retire after the US Open, was questioned about the possibility of his continuing the comeback trend.

Isner replied,