Mardy Fish hopes to play full schedule in return

Off the tour since September, the former top-10 player plans to return to competition at the hard-court event in Indian Wells, Calif., which begins March 7, followed by the Key Biscayne, Fla., tournament, which starts March 20.

"And then, after that, we'll re-evaluate, but he has every intention of playing a full schedule the rest of the year," Fish's agent, John Tobias, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"It's definitely been a long road back for him. He's had his ups and downs. But he's beginning to really get his confidence back," Tobias said. "It's all a process. He's working out every day, for three to four hours a day. He's excited to get back on the court and be on the tour and be back with his buddies."

The 31-year-old Fish wrote on his Twitter feed this week: "For those of you wondering when I'm going to play again... Indian Wells will be my first one back. Thanks for all the love."

All told, it's been nearly a full year of treatment and recovery for the American, who went to be checked by doctors after a match at Key Biscayne in late March 2012, because his heart started racing uncontrollably that night. He pulled out of the U.S. Davis Cup team's matches the following week.