Top Ten Tennis Comebacks 2006
Tennis-X, always an excellent source of tennis info, has created a list of the top 10 comebacks of 2006. It’s a mixed list, but let’s see where the ladies of tennis fall in:
9. Ashley “Pebbles” Harkleroad — Won two ITF titles in three finals last year, returning in April 2005 after a nine-month break from the game due to injury and depression. “H-Road” has strived to shake her Anna Kourni-clone complex, marrying ATP player Alex Bogomolov, Jr. in December. This year the American 20-year-old qualified to the main draw at tour events in Auckland and at the Australian Open, where she gave Maria Sharapova a brief scare in the second set in a 6-1, 7-5 loss. Since then her results have included first-round losses at Las Vegas and Miami, and an 0-and-0 beating at the hands of Lindsay Davenport in Indian Wells. Ouch.
8. Martina Navratilova — An 0-2 start with South African partner Liezel Huber (last year’s Wimbledon winner) didn’t bode well for the legend’s longevity this year, but last week things were looking up with a runner-up effort in Miami. The 50-year-old plans a full doubles schedule this year, and has hinted at some singles appearances — but that will depend on how her surgically-repaired knee performs. “I just feel like I’m not quite done yet,” Navratilova told the AP earlier this year. “When I feel like I’m done, then I’m done. And I don’t know when that will happen.” We look forward to the day that she is older than all three other players on the court combined.
5. Justine Henin-Hardenne — What year isn’t a comeback for the oft-injured Henin? Last year H-H played only nine events, not starting the year until Miami, but winning four straight including the French before missing the year-end championship with injury. Again in 2006 Henin began the year afire, winning two titles and reaching the final in each of her first three events — semifinaling in Indian Wells, then slogging to a first-round loss in Miami. Despite all the “parity” talk on the women’s side, there is no doubt H-H would rule the top spot on the rankings if she could stay uninjured for six months at a time.
1. Martina Hingis — Everyone around her on the WTA Rankings has 20-something tournaments played, yet Martina Hingis has rocketed from zero to No. 25 after just eight tournaments in 2006, with three Top 10 scalps in Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Swiss has 40 career titles under her belt, and if her play since her comeback has been any indication, she will collect another handful of hardware over the next couple years barring any injury. After exclaiming ‘What’s so special about Maria Sharapova?’ upon making her comeback, by the completion of Wimbledon this year we could be hearing ‘What’s so special about my fellow Top 10 players?’
Glad to see Hingis making the top spot of the list, as she’s definitely the comeback to watch this year.
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1 opinion for Top Ten Tennis Comebacks 2006
Sasha
Apr 18, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Does that mean Hingis has a huge possibility of winning the Laureus? :)
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