TENNIS in DEPTH.

This all seemed so impossible when Taylor Dent was lying in bed 23 hours a day, recuperating from his second back operation.

And later, when he would be out of breath after a short stroll.

And, of course, when doctors told him to forget about playing professional tennis again.

On Tuesday, Taylor Dent not only played again at the U.S. Open – he won.

Returning to the Flushing Meadows as a competitor for the first time in four years, for the first time since having his back repaired, the 28-year-old from Newport Beach, Calif., beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-5 to reach the second round.

“I wanted to be here competing and playing well and playing matches. So to be back here accomplishing that is pretty remarkable,” said Dent, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 21 in 2005. “I still have a long way to go. I still feel like my game is still pretty rough around the edges. But it’s extremely exciting.”

The serving motion he had to adjust because of his back problems managed to produce 18 aces against Lopez. Dent still plays the hard-charging, serve-and-volley style he always has, and he won 39 of 58 points when he went to the net.

“I was told by the doctors that this was not realistic,” Dent said. “After I kind of succumbed to the fact I had to have the surgeries to have a normal life, I came to grips with the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to play professional tennis anymore.”

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