At only 15 years of age, tennis wunderkind Breanna Bachini already knows what it’s like to have to attempt a comeback from a debilitating injury. After taking up the sport at her father’s urging when she was 5, Bachini enjoyed much success, cruising through NorCal’s junior ranks, gaining a No. 1 age-group ranking by the time she was 11 and a U.S. ranking of 32 at the tender age of 12.

But late last year, after trying to play with constant pain in her leg, she was diagnosed with inflammation of the knee joint caused by a buildup of scar tissue. Therapy and deep tissue massage proved no help and in December, it was decided that she would have arthroscopic surgery.

“My knee started hurting when I was 13,” she said. “We weren’t really sure what it was. We thought it might just be growing pains.”

Having to convalesce and be away from competitive tennis for an extended period of time was a big adjustment for the young player.

“I wondered how long it would take to come back,” Bachini said. “It was kind of humbling because of all the success I had already had as a junior. I had to watch everybody play tournaments, while I was anxious to get back out there. It was hard.”

But come back Bachini did, recently taking second place in the girls’ 18-and-Under category at the West Coast Championships, a national event held at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento. She came into the tourney unranked after her long layoff, but dispatched four Top-10 seeded players to reach the finals. Her second-place finish boosted her to the No. 20 spot in the NorCal rankings.

Rich Andrews, himself a former professional player and Bachini’s coach of three years, had watched as his pupil tried to cope with playing hurt. In the end, he believes that the injury and subsequent surgery could ultimately prove a good thing.

“Her injury has been a sort of blessing in disguise, because it forced her to slow down and develop a lot of patience with herself,” Andrews said. “I saw her go through a really frustrating and painful time before the surgery where she tried to compete really hard, but her body wouldn’t let her because of the amount of pain she was suffering.

“At a young age she is already learning about injury prevention and injury management,” Andrews continued. “In the long run, it could be really beneficial to her physical development and it’s allowed us more time to remodel her tennis technique and shot-making abilities.”

Bachini and her family sold a house in Roseville and are living in Rocklin for the time being until they move into a another Roseville home later this year.

She would appear a prime candidate for early sports burnout, but she seems genuinely to love the game she has worked so hard at since a very young age. Her recent second-place finish at the West Coast National Championships seems to have only added fuel to her competitive fire.

“It was really exciting because I was coming back from my surgery and I beat four top seeds on my way to the finals,” she said. “In the finals, I had already played a tough three-hour match earlier in the day and my knee felt really bad, but I went out there and gave it my all.”

Bachini is home-schooled and an excellent student, but academics definitely do not preempt work on the tennis court. Her normal routine consists of tennis practice from 8-10 a.m., followed by an hour lesson with Andrews, followed by an hour session with a hitting coach and another hour of fitness work in a gym.

The afternoons are devoted to completing schoolwork, with academics taking up to four hours a day.

Obviously, her schedule is a grueling one, but the goals she holds for herself means there can be no substitute for a kamikaze-like work ethic.

“I would like to be No. 1 in the NorCal 18-and-under rankings by the end of the year and get some wild-card entries into some pro satellite tournaments,” Bachini said. “Long term, I’d like to be a top professional player who brings some of the volleying and slicing back to the women’s game instead of just banging it out from the baseline. I’d like to become No. 1 in the world.”

Andrews knows how truly difficult it is to become a professional in any sport and has tried to paint what he calls the big picture for Bachini – becoming a top junior and/or college player is one thing, making it in the pros is something else entirely.

“This last tournament showed that even after a year off, she could come back and beat many of the top 18-and-unders in Northern California, as well as some of the players who are on the national circuit,” Andrews said. “Knocking off four of the top seeds in a row is a big accomplishment.

“In my heart I believe that Breanna is at the least a high-level college player,” Andrews continued. “She’s already capable of beating Div. I college players right now.

“Playing pro tennis is a tough proposition, so my job as a coach is to try and give her an understanding of what it will take to do that.”

Hopefully Bachini will be able to make her long-term dreams come true – women’s professional tennis seems sorely in need of players who are not afraid to come to the net.

“I like to call myself an all-court player,” Breanna said. “I can grind it out from the baseline, but I’m not afraid to come in, mix it up, volley and slice.”