RICHARD Whichello, the 22-year-old Kent left-hander, made a successful
comeback at the Prudential National Tennis championships at Telford
yesterday following a year of misery and frustration.
Whichello, who beat Chris Bradnam 6-3, 6-3 in his opening match,
looked set for a promising career after having made his British Davis
Cup debut against Austria last year. But just before Christmas, while
training in the United States, he collapsed on court with a prolapsed
disc and was out of action for seven months.
''It's been a long, hard road back,'' said Whichello yesterday. ''This
is my first big tournament since last year's nationals. I've lost my
sponsor, had no tournament play, and made no money so it has been pretty
rough.
''The one good thing to come out of my enforced break is that I'm much
keener now. My desire to do well is so much greater.''
Whichello, after a first-round bye, was particularly pleased with his
second-round victory over Bradnam.''Chris beat me in the Nationals in my
first match last year, so it was nice to turn the tables,'' he
explained.
Yesterday's victory earned Whichello #500, not much by Boris Becker's
standards, but a near fortune for a man who has won nothing in the past
12 months.
Sara Gomer, another player on the comeback trail, also won her opening
match yesterday, winning 6-4, 6-3 in her second-round clash against
15-year-old Jeanette Bhaguandas from Middlesex.Gomer, the British No.1
from Torquay, has been suffering from a hormone imbalance since
Wimbledon and is still not completely cured.
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