The phrase "attempts to retrieve a" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing efforts to obtain or recover something, often in a technical or data-related context.
Example: "The software attempts to retrieve a lost file from the backup system."
Alternatives: "tries to obtain a" or "seeks to recover a".
In the new box office topper, a shorts-wearing sea sponge attempts to retrieve a secret recipe from a pirate played by Antonio Banderas.
But he says the massive surveillance operation led to charges against Lisi, including extortion for his attempts to "retrieve a recording".
Taking place after the events of Metroid II: Return of Samus and set on the planet Zebes, the story follows bounty hunter Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve a stolen Metroid from the Space Pirates.
With Li 30-15 ahead on serve, Azarenka mis-hits a return, Li gets it back, but then turns her left ankle as she attempts to retrieve an Azarenka forehand.
The most famous of these were the Grimm brothers, who were attempting to "retrieve a record of the German spirit".
But the poster is more than a practical attempt to retrieve a painting, although of course we must hope it succeeds.
Austrian authorities had temporarily detained him earlier this year when he attempted to retrieve a loaded gun he had hidden in a restroom at Vienna airport in January.
At one point in the first set she made a lunging attempt to retrieve a wide forehand drive that saw her topple very slowly into the tram lines like a Grenadier Guard heroically fainting on parade.
There is a series of complicated events including former lovers, dusty legal documents and Marty's attempt to retrieve a mysterious envelope – which, we learn, contains the formula of the elixir.
The initial download automatically restarted a few times while attempting to retrieve a license.
Later, he attempted to retrieve a backup from his Mac, but the computer simply froze after that request.
