Whenever a player has to endure an injury, one of the first things spectators begin to wonder is, will they be able to make a triumphant return to the tour?

Even the world's best players struggle to return to top form after recouperating from an injury. But will former No. 1, Amelie Mauresmo, be able to return to the top of the game, after having an appendectomy?

'If Grand Slam champions like Williams and Davenport can return with great results, what’s to say Mauresmo can't do the same thing?'


When a player misses as much time as Mauresmo has, the level of play changes drastically, and it's hard for a player to re-adopt their game to the new level. Since late last year Amelie has been less than impressive, and it's hard to tell if she can make a successful return.

Mauresmo experienced the best season of her career in 2006, and spectators across the globe finally saw her reach her true potential. Critics always assumed her nerves would get the better of her, and she would always fall short on the biggest stages. She finally stormed through a strong field at the Australian Open to claim her first Grand Slam. She finally made it clear that her nerves weren’t an issue, and went on to win her second major, Wimbledon.

Grand Slam champions are usually able to make triumphant returns to the tour. Serena Williams, an eight-times Grand Slam champion, successfully returned to action in 2007 after an extensive lay-off due to a lingering knee injury. She stormed her way through the Australian Open field and re-established herself. Lindsay Davenport did the same thing when she made a fantastic return, after giving birth to son Jagger.

If Grand Slam champions like Williams and Davenport can return with great results, what’s to say Mauresmo can't do the same thing? No one can deny that Mauresmo is one of the greatest players from her country, following Sandrine Testude of course. She is a powerful server, and can blast winners from either side, so if she truly wants it, she can achieve being one of the world's best players again.

One of the biggest things Mauresmo will need to work on is her confidence level and nerves. If a confident Mauresmo shows up on court, there isn’t much that can stop her. She has proven she can put her nerves behind her, but after some of the defeats she’s had over the last few months, she may be back to square one in that department. But most importantly she needs to have fun while she is out there, or she won't last much longer

On the positive side, she has stayed fairly consistent this year, reaching the quarter-finals in three of the five events she’s played. She hasn’t given up yet, and continues to fight back.

She might benefit from competing on the ITF circuit for a couple of months, like Andre Agassi did while he was experiencing a glitch in his career. Mauresmo will need to make a change quick though, because if she doesn’t, the tennis world could pass her by. But she has the artillery to succeed again and prove her critics wrong.

Don’t count Mauresmo out yet. Even though she isn’t the youngest, she still has a lot left. Most critics assumed she wouldn’t ever win a Grand Slam, and look what she achieved?