Matteo Berrettini could have another reason to celebrate before 2024 ends after being one of three players nominated for the ATP Comeback Player of the Year.
The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up missed the final few months of 2023 and more than two months of this season after sustaining a severe ankle in the second round of the US Open against the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.
Working with Francisco Roig, who became his coach at the start of the season after being on Rafael Nadal's team for 17 years, Berrettini's recovery from that injury was superb and confounded most expectations.
Berrettini won a title in just the third tournament of his comeback and first on clay at the Morocco Open. His run to the title in Egypt included victories against compatriot Lorenzo Sonego and clay court specialist Roberto Carballes Baena.
The Italian's next final came on grass at the Stuttgart Open. Berrettini defeated Wimbledon semifinalists Denis Shapovalov and Lorenzo Musetti, but young British star Jack Draper, who will train with Carlos Alcaraz during the off-season, proved too strong in the final.
Coach Roig's clay court expertise from working with Nadal, the greatest player ever on the dirt, seemed to affect Berrettini significantly. He won two more titles on the surface in July at the Swiss Open and the Austrian Open.
Those successes meant fans were shocked when Berrettini and Roig split shortly before the Paris Masters. The move seemed amicable but did not make it any less surprising.
Berrettini ended his successful season by playing a pivotal role in Team Italy's second successive Davis Cup title. The 28-year-old won three matches, including an epic three-set battle in the semifinal against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The former Wimbledon finalist would undoubtedly be a worthy winner of the ATP's Comeback Player of the Year, but the other two nominees are also superb choices for that award.
Marin Cilic also made a stunning recovery from a knee injury that was even more severe than Berrettini's ankle problem. The 36-year-old had tried and failed to return from his knee issue a few times, and it seemed like the Croatian's time as a professional player may be over.
Cilic admitted that many thought he was crazy to continue trying after so many setbacks because he had already enjoyed an exceptional career that included a memorable run to the 2014 US Open title.
However, his stubbornness paid off. In September, Cilic became the lowest-ranked ATP champion ever at the Hangzhou Open. It was among the most feel-good stories in tennis in recent years.
Kei Nishikori is the other nominee, and his recovery in 2024 was similarly inspiring. The Japanese star, who lost to Cilic in the 2014 US Open final, had barely played since 2021 before the start of the season, primarily because of a hip injury.
Nishikori's rewards in 2024 for refusing to give up on returning include quarterfinals at the Canadian Open and Japan Open and finishing his season by winning the Tali Open in Finland, a Challenger Tour event.
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