Which retired star could make a comeback into top 20?

[NADAL2005RG]

This is supposing the player became a fitness fanatic like Agassi did later in his career.

 

[Front242]

RE: Which retired star could make a comeback into top 10?

In the WTA it's a slim possibility with a few players if they happened to be injury free and in good health and fitness but the men's game is far too physical and demanding to possibly get anywhere close to top 10 with a comeback. They'd be doing well to get back to top 100. At a big push top 50 in extreme circumstances. By that I mean playing tons of mickey mouse tournaments to amass points 'cos no older previously retired guy will have what it takes to win best of 5 matches.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

RE: Which retired star could make a comeback into top 10?

Probably top 20 would be more appropriate. 35-year-old Haas, despite all the feelgood story, still isn't top 10 this year. Certainly Haas gives me the impression that if a player retired today (ranked about 50) with injury problems.....they could make a comeback after their injuries had healed a bit and make top 20.

 

[Front242]

Tommy's case is pretty unique in that his injuries caused him to miss a lot of tennis over the years and as such eventhough he's older than say Federer he has significantly less tennis mileage so he's pretty fresh now. He's used to the grind of playing matches all year long though unlike someone his age coming out of retirement. I still say they'd get mangled and I doubt they'd get above top 50 as a result of no practice at this level since they retired.

Taking someone who retired at 30 for the sake of your hypothetical question, if they attempted a comeback at 35 they'd get destroyed imo. Now maybe someone who retired at 30 because their heart was no longer in it, and not because of injuries, could make a comeback a year or two later if they rediscovered their passion for the game. Even then though I'd say top 50 would be the best they'd make personally. It's very physically demanding these days and to quit for a few years and then try and jump right back in is like a kid being thrown in at the deep end of a swimming pool for the first time and being told to swim.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

Yeah if they retired at age 30 and tried to comeback at 35 I agree. If they retired at age 30 and tried to comeback at age 32, I'd give them a chance of top 20, depending on their commitment and injury status (before and after retirement) and their talent level. If someone could bring up the names of players who retired last year or 2011, I'd assess them and their capacity to return.

 

[Front242]

Well you have Roddick and Ferrero for starters but injuries ended things for them so I couldn't see any possibility of them coming back strong personally even if they wanted to. I'm sure they have no intention of it and this is just being used as an example. Injuries caused both to start sliding down the rankings well before retirement so there's nothing to suggest they'd come back and achieve a higher ranking or anything even remotely close to top 20.

 

[Kieran]

Not a single retired player I can think of would make it back into the top ten. If Borg couldn't manage it in the 90's with his wooden square racquet, no-one can!

 

[brokenshoelace]

None.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

Well you have Roddick and Ferrero for starters but injuries ended things for them so I couldn't see any possibility of them coming back strong personally even if they wanted to. I'm sure they have no intention of it and this is just being used as an example. Injuries caused both to start sliding down the rankings well before retirement so there's nothing to suggest they'd come back and achieve a higher ranking or anything even remotely close to top 20.

Well you saw what happened to Nadal after 7 months of rest. And people were saying his body was the same age as Federer's, so Nadal is a 30-32-year-old based on that. Although its true that knee tendinitis is not your typical injury (if its even called an injury, maybe more so a "condition"). It really depends on what Roddick's injuries were. If Roddick took a year off and returned with less injury concerns (even if those injuries would return within 2 more years of tour play), he could have had a big comeback year. Roddick was still ranked 40 as of Feburary 2013. It isn't a stretch to suggest he could return in 2014 with full dedication (if he had the mind of Agassi) and make it to 20. But again, I don't know about Roddick's injuries and whether a few months of rest can benefit them the way it benefited Nadal.

Ferrero, I only really followed him during his prime. Hard to comment on his situation.

 

[britbox]

None of them. The best chance would be a guy like Roddick who didn't rely as much on his wheels.

 

[DarthFed]

None of them. The best chance would be a guy like Roddick who didn't rely as much on his wheels.

Agreed, I would think a better topic is who could do the best today of the retirees if they came back and limit it to guys retired at least 5 years. For me the answer is easy, Sampras. The serve figures to be the absolute last thing to go and no reason to think Pete wouldn't have one of the best serves on tour even now. Would he be top 20? That's pushing it, but very possibly top 50 I'd say. And it all depends on if they could stay healthy for much of the season.

 

[brokenshoelace]

None of them. The best chance would be a guy like Roddick who didn't rely as much on his wheels.

Agreed, I would think a better topic is who could do the best today of the retirees if they came back and limit it to guys retired at least 5 years. For me the answer is easy, Sampras. The serve figures to be the absolute last thing to go and no reason to think Pete wouldn't have one of the best serves on tour even now. Would he be top 20? That's pushing it, but very possibly top 50 I'd say. And it all depends on if they could stay healthy for much of the season.

Agassi would have to be in the discussion too. Provided his back is not completely broken, though the thread is assuming they're fit and healthy.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

None of them. The best chance would be a guy like Roddick who didn't rely as much on his wheels.

Agreed, I would think a better topic is who could do the best today of the retirees if they came back and limit it to guys retired at least 5 years. For me the answer is easy, Sampras. The serve figures to be the absolute last thing to go and no reason to think Pete wouldn't have one of the best serves on tour even now. Would he be top 20? That's pushing it, but very possibly top 50 I'd say. And it all depends on if they could stay healthy for much of the season.

Exactly......I wouldn't make that thread, because Sampras is the only answer. Every year since he retired people have been talking about how he'd still be able to compete at Wimbledon/USO if he came back. And the exhibitions he played vs Federer proved he still has game (even without regular practice). Sampras has said his serve is now faster than it was during his playing days, because he's switched to a more helpful racquet recently.

 

[britbox]

Sampras couldn't do it now either. He might win sets and could possibly win the odd one-off match (best of 3) against some of the Top 100 but he couldn't handle the grind of a tournament.

 

[tented]

None of them. The best chance would be a guy like Roddick who didn't rely as much on his wheels.

Agreed, I would think a better topic is who could do the best today of the retirees if they came back and limit it to guys retired at least 5 years. For me the answer is easy, Sampras. The serve figures to be the absolute last thing to go and no reason to think Pete wouldn't have one of the best serves on tour even now. Would he be top 20? That's pushing it, but very possibly top 50 I'd say. And it all depends on if they could stay healthy for much of the season.

Agassi would have to be in the discussion too. Provided his back is not completely broken, though the thread is assuming they're fit and healthy.

After watching his final few matches at the USO, I don't think he could ever come back, even if he wanted to. It was painful to watch.

The only other guy who comes to mind is Ljubicic, since he didn't retire that long ago, and I'm not familiar with any major injury which triggered his departure.

 

[Front242]

Not retired but as good as having been off almost 2 years: Soderling. As he's back hopefully at the Paris masters in November, this is a good way to gauge how hard or how successful a comeback after a big break will be. He was world number 4 when he had to stop because of mono so we'll see if he has what it takes to get back to top level. A lot depends on his energy levels.

 

[Moxie]

Not retired but as good as having been off almost 2 years: Soderling. As he's back hopefully at the Paris masters in November, this is a good way to gauge how hard or how successful a comeback after a big break will be. He was world number 4 when he had to stop because of mono so we'll see if he has what it takes to get back to top level. A lot depends on his energy levels.

Soderling is a good call, as I don't see any of the actual retirees coming back. (My only real candidate would have been Roddick, but I don't think he fancies floundering around the 30s.) Robbie must be looking at Tommy Haas as inspiration. He's just turned 29, and he's a better version of some of the guys in his category. (Tall, with big, flat hitting.) If he's fit, maturity could work for him as it has for Haas.

 

[Kieran]

Sampras couldn't do it now either. He might win sets and could possibly win the odd one-off match (best of 3) against some of the Top 100 but he couldn't handle the grind of a tournament.

Exactly. Even if Pete could serve great - not a given over the course of a match against somebody 20 years younger - he'd be like an old drunk getting off a stool for the returns...

 

[NADAL2005RG]

Would Sampras' groundstrokes/movement be worse than Raonic's groundstrokes/movement?

 

[brokenshoelace]

Would Sampras' groundstrokes/movement be worse than Raonic's groundstrokes/movement?

Yes.