By Erin Bruehl, USTA.com

LIEVIN, France -- The physical pain in her right knee was becoming a serious problem for Shenay Perry. However, the mental strain and anguish of knowing she could not play her best tennis was almost worse.

The doctors warned that she might not be able to play tennis at a high level or even ever again after surgery. However, it had come to the point that she was unable to play a three-set match, which clinched her decision to have surgery and hope for the best and relief of the pain that had plagued her in a variety of ways for about two years.

She had a partial microfracture surgery on the knee, which is a common procedure to repair damaged knee cartilage that creates small fractures in the surrounding bone, in August 2007. Many top athletes have had the procedure, including many current and former NBA stars, like Amar’e Stoudemire, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway and Chris Webber, as well as current New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush.

The recovery period can last at least a few months, and Perry found herself off the WTA Tour and back home in Florida with her parents, rehabbing four days a week for four months. Despite what the doctors originally thought, she returned to professional tennis five months later playing doubles and returned to playing singles in July 2008. It was just over a year after her last singles performance at Wimbledon in 2007.

At the time of surgery, Perry was playing some of her best tennis, reaching No. 40 in the world in 2006 and the fourth round of Wimbledon that year – with the knee already bothering her – and now two and a half years later, her best form and best tennis appear to be back and may be even better than ever.

She is back up to No. 102 in the world rankings (after falling outside the top 200 to end 2007) and was selected as a member of the U.S. Fed Cup Team for its quarterfinal tie this weekend against France. She also qualified for the 2010 Australian Open to open the year and qualified for the 2009 US Open, where she then reached the second round in singles.

And, most importantly, the knee has not been a problem either physically or mentally for the past eight months.

“Mentally, it was just draining. I initially (hurt the knee) in 2005. It was building, and it stopped for about six months and then started again,” Perry said of her decision to have surgery. “I think mentally it was too draining for me to continue, and physically it was painful. They (the doctors) said they did not know how long I would be able to maintain this kind of level and would be shocked if I would play again, anyway.”

The doctors were initially going to perform a different procedure but, after surveying the extent of the damage, decided to go ahead with a parital microfracture instead. And she is happy they did.

“I had the initial knee problem before I got to No. 40 in the world. It was a little frustrating (to have to take time off), but it was more of a relief because it was just so taxing mentally to not know I could give my best or my all in a match,” she said. “It was a relief to do something that I had been putting off for so long, to try to get it fixed. I think maybe it was a little disappointing because who knows what I would have done if I had not had the knee surgery? But who knows? I might not have been at that point before I had the initial injury, anyway.”

After surgery, Perry found herself with lots of free time to spend with her parents and younger brother in Vero Beach, Fla. She also helped teach tennis at a nearby country club and, by November 2007, had lightly started to hit again. She became close with a family with three kids, with whom she would often practice at the club, while trying to work her way back.

“Movement, I felt about half a step slow. It just did not feel natural for me to move anymore,” Perry said of playing again post-surgery. “Stroke-wise, I felt natural again. I just needed to hit for a few weeks, just the movement, and I needed to know my limits and not feel scared to go for certain shots.”

And slowly but surely, any fears have subsided, along with the pain.

“It has taken awhile (not to feel scared). I have not had any relapses with the knee in awhile,” she added. “Before it would be really stiff when I would wake up in the morning or after I would hit, but now I do not really feel it. It is kind of second nature. It kind of feels equivalent to the left knee. It has been about two and a half years since surgery. It has felt OK in the last eight months – now it feels back to normal.”

Perry’s quickness around the court is one of the strongest aspects of her game, along with a powerful serve and a one-handed backhand that have not been compromised by the surgery. In fact, she thinks a few aspects of her game might even have improved.

“I definitely feel good. I am not moving backwards. As long as I am moving forward, that is a good thing. I am not complaining,” she said. “I feel like I am hitting the ball pretty well. I definitely feel a little different than when I was playing before. I feel like my footwork has gotten a lot better and my ball-striking ability has gotten better. I feel comfortable with my game.”

Perry says she does not pay too much attention to the rankings or how many points she will earn with each victory. She just plays to win every match, takes each match day by day and lets her game speak for itself.

Since returning from surgery, she has been playing without a coach after working with her father for many years, as well as training at the USTA Training Center (when it was in Key Biscayne) and attending various tennis academies, including Rick Macci’s in Florida as a young teenager with current Fed Cup teammate Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The two have been close friends since their days as 12-year-old junior players.

There is a lot of texting between the two, as well as talking on Blackberry Messenger, and they have been hanging out a lot more since Perry has returned to the tour. Perry is also planning on coming to Mattek-Sands’ house in Phoenix in March prior to the tournament in Indian Wells.

“We have known each other for forever," Mattek-Sands said. "She is one of my best friends on tour and one of my best friends period. We have been through a lot together. We both bring out the best in each other. It is great to have her back on tour. She is super talented, great serve, a sweet one-handed backhand, so I am hoping she can get back to her old ranking. I think if she is healthy, she can get back up there.

“We definitely have slow periods where we don’t talk, but I think it is like with any good friends – when you start talking again, it is like you never stopped,” she added of her friendship with Perry. “She is that kind of person with me.”

When Perry returns home to Florida (originally from Washington, D.C., she now lives in Jupiter, Fla.), she might look more into finding a coach but is happy with how she is playing and how things are going right now. She was thrilled to be invited to join the Fed Cup Team and has been enjoying being in France.

Captain Mary Joe Fernandez asked Perry during the 2010 Australian Open if she was available for the tie, and when Perry said yes, she called back the next day to offer her a spot on the team, alongside friends Mattek-Sands, Melanie Oudin and Liezel Huber. (She also received a congratulatory text message from Mattek-Sands). It is the first time she has played Fed Cup since 2006 and the first tie under Fernandez.

“It was definitely exciting because I definitely did not expect it. I am pretty close with both Bethanie and Melanie, and I know Liezel, as well,” she said of joining the team. “The team is fun, and we get along well. Having them there is bonus. I was definitely excited for something so unexpected. There are a lot of other people who could have taken that last spot. I don’t get excited for too many things, but I was excited for this.”

The tie against France will be played indoors on clay, and clay just happens to be a surface where Perry has had good results. She reached the third round of the French Open in her peak year of 2006 and reached the second round in both 2004 and 2007.

Perry hopes to keep winning and posting consistently good results throughout 2010, and with her knee stable, it seems only a matter of time.

“Just to stay healthy,” she said of her goals for 2010. “And I think the rest will take care of itself.”