Biggest Comeback After >6 Months Absence?

[namelessone]

Originally Posted by cc0509

I think it is you who will be surprised! He will be running around on that clay like nothing happened, unless he is not able to eat his special spinach.

Such a nice statement. You can't lose in this position.

1)Nadal does good in the clay season: It proves he was never injured all along, just silently suspended or cycling off.

2)Nadal doesn't do good in the clay season: He still wasn't injured but he probably couldn't dope at that particular time so that explains his performance.

[mattennis]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

impressive, beating Santoro, Chesnokov, Bruguera, Agenor & Carlos Costa. didn't drop a set.

its a shame tennis didn't receive as much coverage back then.

Yes, when Krajicek was "on" he was amazing (even on clay). Sadly he could never sustain his highest level for long enough periods of time. He was very up and down (he also had several important injuries).

[Anaconda]

Safin after 2003. Missed pretty much all of 2003, played his first tournament at AO 2004, managed to somehow make the final after a tough draw only to gas out in the final, then managed to win back to back ms titles in Europe then took home the AO 2005. Sadly, it ended in injuries again.

[vive le beau jeu !]

Originally Posted by Anaconda

Safin after 2003. Missed pretty much all of 2003, played his first tournament at AO 2004, managed to somehow make the final after a tough draw only to gas out in the final, then managed to win back to back ms titles in Europe then took home the AO 2005. Sadly, it ended in injuries again.

that's a good comeback, indeed (sometimes forgotten because of safin's other long absence from the tour in 2005/2006)... even if he didn't stay 6 complete months without playing on the tour.

his 2004 AO run was spectacular.

[Sid_Vicious]

Originally Posted by Anaconda

Safin after 2003. Missed pretty much all of 2003, played his first tournament at AO 2004, managed to somehow make the final after a tough draw only to gas out in the final, then managed to win back to back ms titles in Europe then took home the AO 2005. Sadly, it ended in injuries again.

Safin didn't miss all of 2003. He had about a 3 month hiatus in the middle of the year, but he still entered 13 tournaments in 2003 and participated in the indoor season events. He played his last match of 2003 at the end of October. Safin was in poor form, but he has no place in this discussion of players returning after 6+ months off tour.

Safin's story is more like a career revival. Kinda like Roddick at the start of 2009, but Marat had to climb back up much more than Roddick.

[Anaconda]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

Safin didn't miss all of 2003. He had about a 3 month hiatus in the middle of the year, but he still entered 13 tournaments in 2003 and participated in the indoor season events. He played his last match of 2003 at the end of October. Safin was in poor form, but he has no place in this discussion of players returning after 6+ months off tour.

Safin's story is more like a career revival. Kinda like Roddick at the start of 2009, but Marat had to climb back up much more than Roddick.

13 tournaments is nothing, especially when he only competed in the AO that year and still had to withdraw. Shame, could have dominated that year .

[mariecon]

Originally Posted by Clarky21

You are going to be in for big surprise when Nadal comes back. He's going to be a total mug who wins nothing. Count on it.

I hope you are right (and his fans should too otherwise he will look awfully suspicious) but I don't think so. It should take a player a good 6-9 months to get back into winning form after such an absence. Let's see how he does.

[CMM]

Originally Posted by mariecon

I hope you are right (and his fans should too otherwise he will look awfully suspicious) but I don't think so. It should take a player a good 6-9 months to get back into winning form after such an absence. Let's see how he does.

LOL. Keep dreaming.

[mariecon]

Originally Posted by CMM

LOL. Keep dreaming.

a girl can dream can't she?

[TheF1Bob]

If Rafa is moving, he'll thrash everyone bar Djokovic.

Originally Posted by mariecon

a girl can dream can't she?

That's right Clarky, Rafas always in your dreams.

[Sid_Vicious]

Originally Posted by Anaconda

13 tournaments is nothing, especially when he only competed in the AO that year and still had to withdraw. Shame, could have dominated that year .

Dominated? Very unlikely. Even in-form Safin was not a shoe-in for the FO and Wimbledon is simply out of the question. He would have had chances to win AO and USO, but to say that Safin would have dominated those two events with the kind of form Agassi and Roddick were in is giving Safin more credit than he deserves.

[Anaconda]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

Dominated? Very unlikely. Even in-form Safin was not a shoe-in for the FO and Wimbledon is simply out of the question. He would have had chances to win AO and USO, but to say that Safin would have dominated those two events with the kind of form Agassi and Roddick were in is giving Safin more credit than he deserves.

Uh, Safin coming into the AO 2004 had very little match practice as we've already covered still managed to beat Agassi and Roddick in 5 sets. So I'd favour an in form Safin over Roddick or Agassi on any hard court any day of the week.


FO, remember Safin has actually beaten Ferrero before and never got a chance to really play 2004 and 2005 because of injury and after 2005 he was out of pretty much everything, definitely could have won one FO title if he didn't have injury problems especially in 2003 and 2004; Especially since Nadal wasn't in FO ownage mode until 2005.


Again, Wimbledon is the same story, made one QF appearance then wasn't really able to anything because of the wrist injury of 03, the blisters of 2004, knee of 2005, 2006 onwards he didn't do anything until 2008 where he made the semi's. I think if Safin could make the semi's on one foot playing nowhere near the level he could, I'm sure in 2003 he could have done better, again, if fully fit.

[timnz]

Pancho was able to still beat the top guys with good frequency - Laver, Rosewall - after taking a couple of years off back in the early 1960's.

[akind]

Kimiko Date-Krumm (42 y.o.)

She came back in 2008 after nearly 12 years off the tour. Since the comeback, she has won several ITF titles, and then won her eighth WTA Tour title at the 2009 Hansol Korea Open in Seoul, thus becoming the second-oldest player in the Open era, after Billie Jean King, to win a singles title on the WTA Tour.

She is also still a power on the tour, often giving much higher ranked opponents a humiliating defeat.

[Moose Malloy]

Winning the French was a big deal for Nadal last year (setting the record and becoming the clay GOAT), and I don't think he has anything left to prove. I think he's burned out, and won't be able to get the mojo back to dominate like he used to. Besides, his rivals (Djokovic and Murray, primarily) have gotten better, Federer is still hanging around, and there will be additional champs (Tsonga and Berdych, anyone?)

well, so much for this. I think Fed, Djokovic & Murray could all take 6 months off & contend right away. partly because they're that good & there simply is no depth in the mens game(I think you can give up on 'additional champs' Tsonga & Berdych at this point, short of injuries to 3 of the big 4 happening at the same time in a major)

The next group of great players haven't turned pro yet. My money's on no one outside the big 4 winning a major this year. Again. Sigh.