American Baker Set to Return Down Under
American Brian Baker will return to the court for the first time since 2013 at the Australian Open next month as the Nashville native embarks on another comeback.
“I got back from the doctor yesterday in Vail, kind of a final checkup, and they liked what they saw,” Baker told ATPWorldTour.com. “They said I was free to train the way I want to train, as long as I’m smart about it, and do what I can next year.”
The 30-year-old Baker turned pro in 2003 and got off to a promising start in his career, but injuries slowed him down starting around 2008. He has had surgeries on both of his hips, his elbow, a sports hernia and a knee injury he suffered back at the 2013 Australian Open.
The right knee is what has limited him most recently before doctors gave him the go ahead to start training and playing again.
“When I injured myself in Australia in 2013, it was a lateral meniscus tear that they repaired. I had a good recovery, but right when I started coming back it started swelling. I didn’t think it was that serious, so I played three tournaments before I realized things weren’t very good,” said Baker. “I had a couple of cleanup surgeries, but it didn’t really help too much. It got to the point where I could play hard for a day or two, but it just wouldn’t really react well to playing day in, day out.”
Because of his protected ranking, Baker will receive a wild card entry into the main draw of next month’s Australian Open.
You can read his full Q&A with ATPWorldTour.com by clicking here.
