Querrey on the mend, helps open tennis center

Things had been going so well for Sam Querrey.

The 22-year-old American was having his best year on the ATP Tour, winning the U.S. Open Series and being ranked No. 22 in the world. He was feeling good about the development of his game, and he thought he was on the verge of breaking into the top-20.

Then, his season came to an abrupt end.

Having taken some time off after the U.S. Open, where he lost to Robin Soderling in the third round, Querrey was in Bangkok, Thailand, preparing to play in a tournament this month. The day before he was scheduled to compete, he was sitting on a glass coffee table. Suddenly, the glass gave way and Querrey fell through it.

His right arm cut, he was rushed to a hospital for surgery to repair the nasty gash. His season was over.

"The scariest part was I was so far away from home," said Querrey, who was in Henderson on Wednesday to help celebrate the grand opening of DragonRidge's new tennis and fitness center. "I'm in Bangkok. I don't know the doctors there. But (they) did a great job. I showed my doctor when I got home, and he said he wouldn't have done it any differently. I'm very grateful."

And lucky. Another inch and Querrey could have severed an artery.

He's now ranked No. 26 and hopes to be back on the court in two to three weeks. Querrey hopes to be ready for the Australian Open in January.

"It was stupid," he said. "It was my mistake. It was a freak accident."

But even a freak accident didn't dampen Querrey's spirits. When he reflects back on his season, he does so with a lot of satisfaction.

"This was a breakout year for me," said Querrey, who won $689,662 in prize money, was 41-23 in singles, won in Los Angeles and ultimately captured the U.S. Open Series, the prelude to Flushing Meadows. "I started slowly, but the summer was the big boost. I was winning matches. .... Everything was going well.

"Winning the Open Series, that was like winning a tournament unto itself. It's so competitive out there, and for me to play so well really helped my confidence."

Actually, Querrey's confidence started to grow in March 2008. He had just won the Tennis Channel Open at the Darling Tennis Center for his first ATP title. The victory motivated him to work harder on his game and his fitness.

"I worked on my speed, agility and anticipation," Querrey said. "My return of serve and my backhand have really improved. I want to be more aggressive."

Querrey's one regret is he never got to defend his Tennis Channel Open title in Las Vegas. The tournament moved to South Africa and was not replaced.

"Anytime you lose a tournament in the States, it's a sad thing," he said. "But losing Vegas was really sad for me. I spent some of my childhood growing up here. I won my first tournament here. My parents live in Vegas. I love it here.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to bring a tournament back here, maybe play it on the Strip somewhere or indoors at the Thomas & Mack (Center). I know the town would support it if we came back."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.