Taylor Dent: The Epitome of Perseverance
Written by Mike McIntyre   
Thursday, 22 July 2010 13:56

 

I've made no secret over the years about my admiration for American Taylor Dent. As a kid I was a big Boris Becker fan - serve and volley at all costs and with a booming serve to back it all up, how could one not be drawn to such a game? Fast forward twenty or so years and very few players still employ a serve and volley strategy on the ATP Tour.

Taylor Dent is one of the remaining throw-back players who lives and dies with his ability to control and capture the net. An all-round nice guy on and off the court, Dent is a genuine guy who has always been candid with the media. The fact that he can effectively use his 6'2'', 195lbs frame to volley as often as he does is quite the feat.

Reaching a career-high of 21st in the world in August of 2005, Dent has had some decent results in the past. He has won four career ATP Titles and made another three finals. Twice he has made it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam, and last year he made it to the third round of the U.S. Open which gave him the confidence to pursue his comeback even further. After losing to Andy Murray there he said, "It's nothing but positive for me. This is a huge step forward in my progression."

I had the good-fortune to talk one-on-one with Dent during the summer of 2008 as he was just beginning his comeback to the ATP Tour. Sidelined for two years with a serious back injury, Dent did not even think that returning to the professional tour was an option.He spoke to me about a visit with his doctor who surprisingly one day gave him the thumbs up to return to the court.

"All of a sudden the doctor goes, "you know, it looks really good, you should just go give it a shot." I was like, whoa - out of nowhere. It was kind of fortunate that it worked out that way because I didn't have to worry about coming back. And then all of a sudden it was just like, "you know, you can go play some ball, play some tennis."

It has not been an easy few years for Dent as he tries to get back into form, but he has had a small breakthrough this week in Atlanta by making his first quarterfinal appearance in a main-draw event since 2005. After defeating Horacio Zeballos, the fourth seed in Atlanta, Dent admitted he still has many more goals to achieve.

“It’s been a long process and the process isn’t over. My goals are further down the road than the quarter-finals. It all revolves around improving my game. I’ve improved my baseline tennis and attacking tennis and it’s no surprise that results will follow. Hopefully quarter-finals will be a regular thing and then maybe some semis and finals will follow.”

Whether Dent can get back into the top fifty in the world remains to be seen, but he certainly has the right attitude and approach. If Dent can qualify for the Rogers Cup in Toronto in August you can be sure that Tennis Diary will be meeting with him to catch-up and explore his comeback further.


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