LOS ANGELES—Thirty days. If all goes well – and a lot still can go wrong – Taylor Dent will be back hitting tennis balls in a mere thirty days.
“I can’t wait,” Dent said, moments after completing his daily rehab routine. “I’m desperate to get back out there.”
Dent recently underwent his third back surgery since May 2006. Doctors are optimistic – so far, the back appears to be mending like it should, and Dent has been given the green light to begin his rehabilitation.
“The news from the doctor was good. Things are healing nicely. We’ve done a week of low-impact work and it’s going well,” said Dent, who now lives in Orange Country, Calif., with his wife, former pro Jenny Hopkins.
The American is more than ready for his second chance – like a race car, he’s revving his engines and waiting for the race to begin.
But he’s been there before, only to stall at the starting line. So while the 26-year-old wants to believe the nightmare is over, he’s still cautious.
Over the next couple of weeks, he’ll up the ante with more strenuous work – a bit of running, some light weights. If things continue to progress, Dent’s doctor will allow him back onto the tennis court, where he’s anxious to be.
“I can’t wait,” Dent repeated. “I’ve really missed it.”
Since his first, unsuccessful back surgery, Dent has tried to avoid reminders of the tour. Watching from the sidelines is painful. “Toughest time of the year for me is during the US Open. Especially this year, with the commentating that I did,” he said.
“I’d sit there and think, that should be me out there, competing, mixing it up. Watching up close the guys that I’d beaten, [seeing them] doing well… it was frustrating.”
Like many an injured player before him, he realized that the tour doesn’t slow down for the weak or invalid. Guys that Dent used to hang with – Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, the Bryan brothers – have all fallen out of touch. But Dent doesn’t reproach them.
“I was out there. I know how it is. You get a break and you want to just chill out. You reach the off-season and you want to hang with your family”
The one tour player Dent is still in close contact with is Jan-Michael Gambill, also suffering from his own chronic injury problems.
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Taylor has the kind of game the tour needs. Classic serve-and-volley with exquisite net instincts. I remember watching him and Lisa Raymond in Hopman Cup a few years back carve their opponents up in the forecourt. They won the title. With Tim Henman retired, Dent, who also possesses a cannon serve, can resurrect a style of play that has become extinct. His career could be characterized as one big Almost. Perhaps if he comes back, he can fulfill more of his potential.
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