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By Blair Henley | Sunday, April 3, 2016

 
Brian Baker

"I missed the Slams. That’s why you play tennis: to put yourself up against the best on the biggest stage," says Brian Baker, who launched his latest comeback with a victory in Houston.

Photo credit: Getty

Brian Baker’s comeback from injury was one of the feel-good tennis stories of 2012. After more than five years away from the game due to surgery on his hips and elbow, the former junior No. 2 regained his rhythm, making his way to the fourth round at Wimbledon and a career-high rank of No. 52 by season’s end.

The Nashville, Tenn., native was an American to watch going into the Australian Open in 2013 before a meniscus injury in his second-round match against Sam Querrey sent him back to the operating table.

More: Tiafoe Heads American Wild Cards In Houston

Three years, four knee surgeries and one back surgery later, Baker mounted his second comeback at this year’s Australian Open. He would fall in the first round in Melbourne and again in Miami. It wasn’t until he returned to the clay, a surface kinder to his battered body, that he got a taste of victory.

On Saturday, less than a month shy of his 31st birthday, Baker earned his first comeback win over Guilherme Clezar in the US Men’s Clay Court Championships qualifying draw in Houston, Texas. He sat down with Tennis Now to discuss his comeback, his mindset and what he missed most about life on tour.

Tennis Now: How does it feel to get that first win?

Brian Baker: It’s always nice to get No. 1. Last time I got the first win it was in the qualies of a 10k (tournament), so this one’s probably a little better.

TN: You’ve had 11 surgeries total in your career. How long does it take to fill out your medical history when you go to the doctor?

Brian Baker: I always laugh at that. I say we’ll be here all day if I have to fill out everything, so I do the abbreviated version.

TN: Your last knee surgery involved a stem cell transplant. Can you tell me about that procedure?

Brian Baker:  I think they’ve been doing it for four our five years, but that’s new in medical terms. It’s called DeNovo NT—the NT stands for natural tissue. I know they take juvenile cartilage stem cells and then glue it onto your defect. It’s like the [stem cell] shots they are doing, but instead of hoping they find the problem area, they put it straight on the defect.

TN: Tennis can be a tough sport financially when you’re out with an injury or when you’re grinding away on the Challenger Tour. Was that a factor in whether or not you could rehab and come back?

Brian Baker:  I was fortunate enough early in my career to have some decent contracts coming out of juniors. I didn’t win any life-changing money, but I had enough to where if I was out for a few years I could survive. I wasn’t lavishly spending. I had a good year in 2012, where I won a decent amount of money. It’s not always a fun time when you watch your bank account slowly dropping (laughs), but I was fortunate enough to be in a position where I didn’t have to go get another job just to make ends meet.

TN: During your time away, you went back to school at Belmont University and coached the team there. Would you consider that a silver lining to your string of injuries?

Brian Baker: I went to Belmont University in Nashville for three years before I came back in 2011. I didn’t go back immediately when I had the first couple of surgeries in 2013, but once I knew I was going to be out awhile, I decided to finish up with a degree in business administration with a finance concentration. I guess the one positive was that I was hurt so long that I was able to finish my degree in four years.

TN: Juan Martin del Potro recently made his comeback in Delray Beach, where he joked about sitting at home watching The Simpsons for two years during his rehab. What was the The Simpsons equivalent for you?

Brian Baker: At first, it was finishing my degree. I probably had my own bed with my name on it at my rehab places (laughs). When I had my last knee surgery, I spent a lot of time in the CPM machine, which stands for Continuous Passive Motion. I had to go eight hours a day for eight weeks. I couldn’t really sleep in it that well. You have to lie on your back and put your knee in this thing that moves it around. I remember trying to write papers on my laptop, but it’s not easy when your knee keeps on hitting the computer.

TN: You lost to Stan Wawrinka in the junior final at Roland Garros in 2003. Is it tough to look at what he’s done with his career knowing you were right there at that level at one point?

Brian Baker: It’s not just him. I played all of those guys: [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga, [Marcos] Baghdatis, Novak [Djokovic] a few times. You are always going to have the questions, “What if I was healthy for my entire career? What trajectory would I have been on?” It’s not something I’m thinking about a lot, but I’d be lying if I said it’s never crossed my mind. For the most part, I’ve tried to live by the mantra of “focus on what you can control and let the other stuff go.”

TN: What did you miss the most while you were away?

Brian Baker: I missed the Slams. That’s why you play tennis: to put yourself up against the best on the biggest stage. That was always the time of year when I missed tennis the most. Most of my best friends are tennis guys, too. You don’t have the same normal high school life [when you play junior tennis]. You make friends and have a social life while you’re away from the game, but it’s great to be back and see those guys and hang out.

 

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