It's been a very long time, but Mardy Fish is ready to give tennis one more go. He has used his protected ranking and, barring some setback,should be playing competitive tennis in the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells this week.

Fish's exit from tennis a few years ago was a shocking and sad story. Without going into too much detail (feel free to Google around for more of the story), Fish had a heart problem three years ago that had severe psychological consequences. I remember seeing him in Cincinnati in 2013 (the second-to-last tournament he played) in the press room. He seemed beaten, like playing top-level tennis might be something that was beyond him again.

No one should have to go through what Fish had to. Whether an athlete or anyone else, it was a tough time in life. Mardy Fish is already an inspiring story in the minds of many. He went from being a mediocre player for much of his career to the top 10 and the top-ranked American after dropping 30 pounds. If Fish can come back from this, though, he will have made one of the greatest athletic comeback stories in all sports in recent decades.

One of the very overlooked storylines in the decline of American men's tennis is the role that Fish's absence has played in it. America has been without a consistent men's Grand Slam second-week contender for a few years now. When he was playing, though, Fish was filling that role. He certainly wasn't threatening to win majors, but he was reaching fourth rounds and quarterfinals and was making deep runs in Masters tournaments. Then, overnight, before a pivotal US Open match, it all went away. For Fish, he could have lost a lot more than tennis. For America as a tennis country, they lost their flag-bearer and top player.

Now, though, Fish wants to try it one more time. His talent is still there. His will is still there. He will need some match play to get back into his rhythm to compete at the top levels, but if his heart stays okay and if his mind will let him concentrate on tennis, there is no reason that Fish can't make 2015 a year to remember.

No matter what the outcome, though, it will be amazing to just watch Fish try to once more be a top tennis player after everything he's been through. Just getting on court against top players should be an inspiration. Winning matches? That would be a dream come true.