Edgardo Massa: The Forgotten Argentine on the Eternal Comeback

This one is about Yayo Massa, this is man who has been injured for almost 6 years in total and if he plays a full season he will make the top 100. These were in Clarin and La Nacion the Argentine papers.

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/11/15/deportes/d-06701.htm

Massa, the talent so badly struck by injuries

At the age of 20, he made good progress. Today, at the age of 26, he doesn't want any shocks.
Exactly seven years ago, triumphing at the Ericsson Cup, Edgardo Massa created excitement which, over the years, has been gradually diminishing. Throughout his career, Yayo has had as much talent as he has injuries. Too many for a professional tennis player who had made such good progress. Today, a far cry from those semifinals reached in 2000 - he was only stopped in the semifinals by an exceptional Guillermo Coria - the Formosa native seeks to relaunch his career at the Copa Petrobras, where he yesterday reached the second round after beating American Hugo Armando 6-3 6-3.

"I'm gradually feeling better. I'm happy to be back on court and be able to finish matches", the world number 674 told Clarin at the Vilas Club. Massa, now coached by Francisco Yunis, must hold the world record for longterm injuries. Naming the most recent ones, he mentions: surgery on both shoulders in 2005, hip surgery last year, and a stress fracture in his right hand this season, which sidelined him for almost eight months.

So, what does the blonde think of his career at 26? His reply: "I try to say, well, from now on I want to have a normal year. The results will speak for themselves. And if I want to go fishing for a month, I hope it's because I've chosen to do so. I want to be the one who decides to stop, I don't want it to be because of injury".

"It was amazing. If I look back, I feel like killing myself," he says of his past. "Every time I got injured, I tried to be optimistic. I surrendered 100% of my life to tennis. I hope I have a normal year", he adds. "For me, tennis is a job and I try to make it as good as possible. This is a solitary, selfish sport and I try to do my own thing, I don't screw with anything and I try to be as professional as possible", he says, summarising his relationship with tennis.

When asked whether this will be a good chance to get back into the main circuit, Massa says "I hope so. But now I'm taking it match by match, and just thinking of finishing them. I'm starting to feel nervous, not being able to sleep the night before, like what used to happen to me". Towards the end of the interview conducted next to the gym, Clarin asked him what he thought of the controversial issue of betting. And Massa, more serious now, was curt in his reply: "I prefer not to speak about this. I don't want to add more fuel to the fire".

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportiva/nota.asp?nota_id=962341

The eternal comeback

Cursed by injuries, Edgardo Massa returned once again to the circuit and hopes this time it's for good.

He kept getting injured, and kept coming back. Edgardo Yayo Massa was a member of a golden generation which catapulted players like Nalbandian and Coria. But a career plagued by injuries prevented him from asserting himself on the circuit. Three shoulder operations, one hip operation, multiple joint strains and injuries are part of his unfortunate CV. He's had so many injuries, he's even stopped counting them. But every time life dealt him a blow, he got back up again with strength and dedication.

Now, the strapping 26 year old from Formosa, ranked 674 (he was 91 in 2005), is trying again for the umpteenth time. He came back two months ago in Quito, and yesterday for the first round of the Copa Petrobras (his fourth tournament), at the Vilas Club, defeating American Hugo Armando 6-3 6-3 and hoping for a definitive comeback.

- What goes through your mind when you see how far Nalbandian and Coria have gone?

- I've known them both since we were nine or ten. We travelled a lot together in juniors, we did millions of tours together. I think about everything that happened and can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday, but it's been 15 years.

How did you overcome so many setbacks?

- It's very difficult. There were days when nothing happened, weeks which never seemed to end. The hardest part is the recovery. I didn't even feel like getting out of bed. All the time I would ask myself what the hell I had done to deserve this.

What was your worst injury?

- Just after I had got into the top 100, I had two shoulder operations. Another time, at an indoor exhibition, I moved awkwardly and I felt a dreadful pain in my hip, and it was back to the operating theatre. So it makes coming back harder, because when you recover, there are joint injuries, strains. It's like it will never end.

- What motivated you to keep going?

- The support from my family, friends and work group helped me a lot. There's no way in hell I would go out by myself. Now, I have Francisco Yunis, the coach that I want; Dario Lecman, the physical trainer that I want; and Carlos Musis, the manager that I want.

Did you ever consider yourself to be an ex-player?

- Yes, very often. Many times, I would spend three or four months without touching a racquet. I was a player off and on for a long time. I threatened to quit millions of times, and not as a whinger. I really had a tough time.

And what did you do when you weren't playing?

- Luckily, I was supported in everything I did. If I decided to study, travel, train, I had support. But in the end, it always ends up getting to you. And I didn't want to feel like I hadn't tried.

What do you think of the players who are already retiring at your age?

I can perfectly understand their decision. The life of a tennis player is very sacrificed. It's tiring and does your head in.

- What's your next goal?

- I've already taken the first step, which was to hold a racquet again. Now I want to have a good ore-season to be back on the circuit again.

Is this your last try?

- I don't know. I always say: "This is the last year." I want to stop playing at my own choice and not because of something beyond my control.

Emiliano Massa, another injury victim Yayo has a tennis playing brother: Emiliano. He was the Orange Bowl champion (2002) and the Roland Garros junior doubles champion (2005 and 2006). He is also troubled by injuries: he is currently recovering from a shoulder operation. "I try to give him advice, but I let him decide what is best for him," says Edgardo.