Progress isn’t linear, in life or in sport. With the precise mindset, a setback can present a chance to return again stronger.
That is precisely what the 4 nominees for Comeback Player Of The Year within the 2022 ATP Awards have labored so laborious to do that season. Borna Coric, Stan Wawrinka, Wu Yibing and Dominic Thiem are all on the shortlist for the award, which works to a participant who has overcome damage to re-establish himself as one of many prime gamers on Tour.
The winner, as chosen by the gamers, will likely be introduced throughout Awards week, beginning 12 December.
Player |
Career-High Before Comeback |
Lowest Ranking In 2022 |
2022 End-Of-Year Ranking (Difference) |
Borna Coric | No. 12 | No. 278 | No. 26 (+252) |
Stan Wawrinka | No. 3 | No. 361 | No. 149 (+212) |
Wu Yibing | No. 298 | No. 1869 | No. 117 (+1,752) |
Dominic Thiem | No. 3 | No. 352 | No. 105 (+247) |
Borna Coric
SInce present process surgical procedure in May 2021, Coric has needed to spend between 30 and 90 minutes a day engaged on his proper shoulder to keep up it. Considerable off-court dedication is important for the Croatian to even make it onto courtroom, not to mention to start out successful matches on the ATP Tour.
That hasn’t stopped the 26-year-old from surging again up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this 12 months. Having dropped as little as No. 278 in May, Coric ended the season at No. 26, an inspirational return following 12 months out because of his damage.
After making his comeback at Indian Wells in March, Coric was understandably rusty. Yet an ATP Challenger Tour title gained in Italy in June was an indication that he was beginning to discover his ft once more, and the previous World No. 12 then charged again into the ATP Tour winners’ circle in fashion on the Western & Southern Open in August.
“I’ve no phrases, to be sincere,” stated Coric after taking out 5 Top 20 gamers in a row, together with Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas, to assert a shocking maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. “It’s simply an unbelievable feeling… I assumed I may play effectively. I used to be coaching laborious, and I knew I may play good tennis, however that I may play this degree tennis, I used to be simply not conscious. I’m simply tremendous joyful.”
Stan Wawrinka
“[It is] not a miracle, I would not say that, but it surely was very lengthy and troublesome… I assumed I might be [out] just a few weeks. It lasted an entire 12 months, with many moments of doubts.”
Wawrinka had good purpose to be cautious previous to his tour-level singles return on the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April. The former World No. 3 had been stored out of motion for greater than a 12 months by a foot damage.
The 16-time tour-level titlist didn’t take lengthy to dispel any doubts about his capacity to compete towards the very best on the earth, nevertheless. Wawrinka sealed wins towards Reilly Opelka and Laslo Djere in simply his second tour-level event again, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Later within the 12 months, the 37-year-old additionally claimed a pair of notable Top 5 wins on European indoor laborious courts, towards Daniil Medvedev in Metz and Casper Ruud in Basel.
“This is one of the main reasons why I keep on playing,” stated Wawrinka after taking out World No. 3 Casper Ruud in straight units. “I’m getting old, that’s for sure. I had to fight the last two years with the injury, surgery. Coming back was not easy… So to be able to produce that tonight here in Switzerland is of course something really special.”
Wu Yibing
After two seasons away from the ATP Tour, Wu returned to play his half in historical past in 2022.
In August, he and his countryman Zhang Zhizhen each got here by qualifying to develop into the primary Chinese males to compete within the US Open foremost draw within the Open Era. It represented a milestone second on a protracted street for Wu, who didn’t compete on the ATP Tour from March 2019 till January 2022 because of a number of accidents, together with points together with his elbow, decrease again, shoulder and wrist.
“I’m joyful I’m nonetheless taking part in tennis and having fun with tennis,” stated the 2017 US Open boys’ singles champion Wu after happening to achieve the third spherical in New York, the place he was crushed by defending champion Daniil Medvedev. “I feel that is actually good I can preserve my ardour for tennis although I used to be hurting unhealthy. I feel this [is] not straightforward to do, however I’m glad I made it.”
That run at Flushing Meadows got here off the again of a red-hot streak on the ATP Challenger Tour for Wu, who gained three consecutive titles at that degree in June and July. After taking part in solely on a home circuit in China in 2020-21 following elbow surgical procedure, the 23-year-old’s exploits this season helped him rise to a career-high No. 113 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in early November, having began the 12 months at No. 1122.
Wu celebrates on the US Open. Photo Credit: Dustin Satloff/USTA.
Dominic Thiem
Returning to aggressive motion in March after lacking 9 months because of a wrist damage was at all times going to be a problem for Thiem. The former World No. 3 misplaced his first six tour-level matches upon returning to the ATP Tour in April as he sought to regain confidence in his physique and his sport.
“The key’s simply to be affected person, proceed being affected person, work on the stuff which isn’t working after which it’ll come again, however it’ll take time,” stated Thiem after the sixth of these losses, a first-round defeat to Hugo Dellien at Roland Garros. At his very subsequent tour-level occasion, Thiem’s no-panic strategy started to repay. Hard-fought wins towards Emil Ruusuvuori and Roberto Bautista Agut in Bastad started a sequence of 9 ATP Tour occasions through which he gained at the least one match.
After dropping as little as No. 352 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in June, Thiem ended 2022 at No. 105, having reached three ATP Tour semi-finals, with the Austrian exhibiting loads of indicators that he’s on the best way again to discovering his greatest degree. Tommy Paul, Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz have been among the many gamers crushed by the rejuvenated 17-time tour-level titlist.
“This victory particularly is unbelievable as a result of it’s my first victory over an almost-Top 10 man in my comeback course of,” stated Thiem after saving three match factors to down World No. 11 Hurkacz in Antwerp in October. “The match may simply have been gone, but it surely’s like that on the highest degree and I’m very joyful typically to even get to these shut conditions once more.”