‘Zero pain and feeling good’: Lloyd Harris hits the comeback trail

Having vanished midway through the 2022 season, forced off the court by a wrist injury, Lloyd Harris has returned to action and South Africa’s top tennis player is ready to get his career back on track.

Despite his trajectory taking a massive knock during his recovery, his promising return to competition this week has proved that Harris is ready to shine again on the ATP Tour.

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Harris made his Grand Slam debut in 2018, and after showing consistent progress, he enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2021 when he reached the third round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the US Open, climbing to a career high No 31 in the world rankings. He also reached the final of the Dubai Open in the UAE, an ATP 500 Series event.

Halfway through last season, however, Harris announced he would not compete again in 2022, in order to undergo wrist surgery.

But with his rehabilitation now complete, the 25-year-old player made a low-key comeback this week at an ATP Challenger event in Thailand.

Hoping to get as much time on court as possible, Harris was delighted with his results, playing five matches and reaching the final where he lost to French opponent Arthur Cazaux.

“I have zero pain. I thought there would be some flare-ups after playing this many matches,” he said at the weekend.

“It’s easy to hit balls, but playing points is a different story, so there were some nerves being back on court, but I got through it and that’s a relief.

“Coming here I just wanted to get some matches in, and I did not expect things to go as well as they have, so I’m feeling good.”

Having dropped to No 212 in the world rankings after being sidelined from competition for more than six months, Harris was gearing up to take another step forward on the comeback trail at the Australian Open next week, where he earned an entry with a protected ranking.

Tough opening match

Making his fifth successive appearance at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, he was set to face rising Italian star Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round at Melbourne Park on Monday. And though he was eager to build on the form he showed in Thailand, Harris said his main objective was to stay injury free in the early stages of the season.

“The most important thing for me is to get back to the level I was playing at before, and I just want to stay healthy,” he said.

“I want to get through this tournament with my body feeling good and I don’t have any expectations in terms of results, but my results in Thailand have given me a lot of confidence.”

Rising rapidly through the international ranks in recent years, and playing a key role in the national Davis Cup team, Harris had become the country’s top player even before two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson retired last season. And while he was hoping to bounce back to his best this year, the new king of SA tennis said he felt no real pressure ahead of the top-flight tournament at Melbourne Park.

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“Last year I was seeded at the Australian Open, but because I haven’t played for a long time, I don’t think anybody will have too many expectations and I’m not feeling any pressure,” he said.

“But I’m feeling ready, I’m enjoying my tennis at the moment and I’m excited to be playing again.”