Mayer Back To Full Health, Winning Ways In Heilbronn

After several frustrating years battling injuries, Florian Mayer is finally healthy and ready to make a run back up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The 32-year-old missed more than seven months following last year’s US Open because of a torn right adductor tendon. He returned to the tour last month and, perhaps surprisingly, has shown no signs of rust. In just his third tournament back at this week’s $75,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Heilbronn, Germany, Mayer upset No. 2 seed Horacio Zeballos in the opening round before defeating #NextGen star Frances Tiafoe in a marathon second-round match on Wednesday.

“This is the one of the best Challengers I’ve ever taken part in,” said Mayer. “Everything is super-organised, the courts are fast and it’s good preparation for Roland Garros.”

In addition to his most recent injury woes, Mayer also missed more than a year on tour due to a hip injury before returning in April 2015. Although he finds the rehab process frustrating, he admitted that it’s taught him patience that will serve him well in his comeback.

“The rehab took a long time, but the important thing was to build my strength slowly,” said Mayer. “I started with cycling and small amounts of running, then started practising again last month before my first tournament back.”

Although Mayer has competed sparsely on the ATP Challenger Tour in recent years, he’s enjoyed great success whenever he has. He’s won 11 ATP Challenger Tour singles titles throughout his career, most recently in 2013 at the illustrious event in Braunschweig, Germany. Mayer intends to play more ATP Challenger Tour events as he looks to make it back to the upper echelons of tennis, but given his recent battles with injuries, he’s simply happy to be playing.

“I hope to try and re-enter the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings next year,” said Mayer. “The most important thing for me though is to stay healthy and have fun with the game.”