Tennis fans got two blasts of hope on the Challenger circuit this week, as one former top ten professional started his comeback at a challenger while another continued hers.
Video: Fed and the Parrot
Mardy Fish, 33, played his first tennis since summer 2013 when he paired up with Mark Knowles to play the Dallas Challenger doubles draw. He would win a round before being knocked out the next day, but not before he received many well wishes from fellow pros and fans on Twitter.
It’s been a rough battle for the American for the last three years. Fish had heart surgery to repair an arrhythmia in 2012. He returned to the tour months later but anxiety and complications forced him back to the sidelines.
The former world No. 7 made an emotional return at Indian Wells in 2013 and played nine matches before leaving the game for what many feared might be for good.
Over the weekend Nicole Vaidisova, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist and former world No. 7, reached her first challenger semifinal since making her return to the game last September. The talented Czech is still shy of her 26th birthday but has been out of the game since 2010. She qualified for the main draw in Midland before winning three more matches.
Vaidova started her comeback with a ranking of 993 but could move inside the top 400 after her performance this week.