Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Brian Baker could easily have been named "Comeback Player of the Year" in 2012. The 30-year-old continued his remarkable comeback from injuries that required five surgeries, including Tommy John surgery on his shoulder, and kept him away from the game for the better part of six years. Baker played a handful of events in 2011 but returned to the tour full-time in 2012, winning his first tournament at the Weston, Fla., Futures in January. He went on to win two other USTA Pro Circuit titles—the Costa Mesa, Calif., Futures and the Savannah, Ga., Challenger. By spring, he was playing events on the ATP Tour, including Nice, France, where he beat Gael Monfils and Nikolay Davydenko before losing to Nicolas Almagro in the final. A few months later, Baker qualified for Wimbledon and made an amazing run to the fourth round to move him into the world’s top 100 for the first time. He ended the year at No. 61, up an incredible 397 spots from his 2011 year-end ranking of No. 458.