In a season of comebacks by players like Vera Zvonerava and Viktor Troicki, Nicole Vaidisova has returned from a nearly five-year absence to compete once more. The former top-10 player received a wild card entry into last week's Albuquerque ITF event.

Until the New Mexico tournament, Vaidisova had not played competitively on the professional level since an ITF event at Hammond, Louisiana in March 2010. Clearly burned out from the sport, the Czech left stating she had grown tired of tennis at just 20 years of age. And despite her young age, she was a veteran who had already endured the rigors of the road. Barely out of her teens, Vaidisova had logged six WTA titles and two ITF championships, while reaching the semifinals of both the Australian and French Opens before she left.

It was in 2005 and at the ripe old age of 16 when Vaidisova was anointed the next great WTA player.  And early in her career, she did not disappoint the prognosticators, earning five titles before her 17th birthday as she defeated notable opponents such as Venus Williams, Sam Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, and a young Victoria Azarenka along the way. However, beginning in 2008, Vaidisova watched her ranking decline from the top 10 to world No. 495 before she stepped away from the game two seasons later.

So what circumstances drove the young Czech away? Some claim that she lost interest in the sport due to a relationship with Radek Stepanek that coincided with her rapid decline. The couple would eventually marry, but they have since divorced.

Others cite the fact that, by achieving instant success at such a young age, Vaidisova was ultimately set up for a fall. While there are examples of players such as Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, and Monica Seles who handled early success somewhat in stride, there were also Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. Capriati had advanced to the Wimbledon and U. S. Open semifinals at the age of 15 before taking a hiatus from the sport to deal with personal issues. She would make a comeback later. Hingis had captured three Grand Slam titles before reaching her 17th birthday. However, as an injury plagued competitor in her early 20s, her first exit from the sport was not a graceful one. Years later, she would also return, but she was never able to recapture her previous form.

Now, with many players opting to play tennis at the collegiate level, the sport may be trending to a more seasoned competitor who enters the tour. Players such as John Isner and Kevin Anderson have fared well navigating that route. Americans Steve Johnson and Nicole Gibbs both found success in the NCAA and are gradually rising in the rankings.

However, Vaidisova's path to success came through Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy, where a number of child prodigies eventually found their way to the tour at an early age. With the changing tide in the sport, she is one of the last to find immediate success at such a young age. And while players such as 17-year-old Belinda Bencic are making an impact, the tour is littered with established players who found their way at a more advanced age.

Now in her prime at the age of 25, the Czech is not only overcoming rust from her absence but has endured a litany of injuries, most recently recovering from two shoulder operations. But she still has many of the skills that led to her rapid rise. Much like Maria Sharapova, she is tall and a big hitter. If she has overcome her injuries, Vaidisova has plenty of time to work her way back from her current ranking of world No. 993.

Vaidisova would lose her second-round match in Albuquerque last week but was happy to be on the courts again, “I am so glad I got to play,” she said after her first victory since 2010. As a younger player, her abilities were never an issue, but her fervor for the game became one. She will need her passion for the sport if she is to test such a daunting comeback. In the early stages, it appears that she has it again.

Interestingly, there was another young player in the qualifying draw at the Albuquerque tournament who recently made headlines herself. In that field of players was a 15-year-old Catherine Bellis, who recently defeated Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova at the U. S. Open, thrusting media attention upon her. What valuable lessons might she tap into from Vaidisova as her career advances?