Canadian tennis star Sharon Fichman is coming back after a two-year absence.
“I’m very excited to say that I will be coming back to professional tennis in just over a month’s time,” Fichman told Sportsnet.
She will be making her return at the Coupe Banque Nationale in Quebec City during the week of Sept. 10, just after the conclusion of the U.S. Open, competing in doubles.
Fichman was a teen sensation, touted as the world’s No. 2 player under 14 when she was 13 years old and making her professional debut when she was just 14 years old.
Over the span of her career the 27-year-old racked up a 299-195 professional singles record, ranking as high as No. 77 in the world, but truly excelled as a doubles player reaching as high as No. 48 with a 216-136 record before opting to step away from the game due to a rash of injuries and mental exhaustion.
The last singles match Fichman played in was at an ITF event in Slovakia against Hungarian player Agnes Bukta, a 6-4, 6-3 defeat in May of 2016.
Now, however, after time off to pursue other interests, the itch to play has returned to Fichman.
In a memo she sent to Sportsnet, Fichman addresses what she’s been up to for the last two years.
[blockquote]I stepped away due to a mix of things. I was struggling to return consistently to competition on tour between 2014-16 due to injuries and it took a toll on me both physically and mentally. I felt like I needed time away from the competitive side of tennis and pursue other passions.
I pursued my passion for media and my gift of gab to be a tennis analyst for Sportsnet. I got my Coach 3 Certificate from Tennis Canada and began coaching for the Canadian Tennis Federation on contract, travelling with and aiding in the development of some of our top Canadian junior players. As well, I ran the high-performance development at the Granite Club in Toronto for the past year.
It was through coaching that I found my love for the sport again as well as the encouragement and support from my agent Marla Ono and longtime boyfriend and 2014 Olympic medallist Dylan Moscovitch.
Having a significant other that has travelled a similar path brought me a lot of knowledge, wisdom and perspective that I did not have prior to my decision to step away from tennis indefinitely.
I’m now returning to the sport with a different perspective and nothing but pure love for the game and the love of representing my country.[/blockquote]
In the meantime, as she patiently waits to return to the court in earnest, Fichman will be working as a television analyst during Sportsnet’s coverage of the Rogers Cup.
She tested the waters earlier this year in April, reaching the quarterfinals of an ITF event at Indian Harbour Beach, playing with American Jamie Loeb.
Fichman’s return will primarily be as a doubles player, but she isn’t entirely ruling out a return to singles competition, either. At the moment, she’s still weighing in potential partners, but says she’ll most likely team up with players she’s had past success with.
“There’s a couple players that I’m looking to play with predominantly,” Fichman said. “We’re trying to align our schedules just because I sort of made this decision in the recent months and it’s halfway through the year.”
Looking at some of her past partners, some potential names who Fichman could be looking at include fellow Canadians Gabriela Dabrowski and Carol Zhao, as well as American Maria Sanchez.
Regardless who she ends up partnering with, Fichman will be back doing what she’s loved since she was just a child.
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