Tennis has always been an extremely physical sport, with matches often lasting three or four hours. However, in the last five years the level of physicality amongst players has increased, with some matches lasting six hours or more. Players like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki fly the flag for physical fitness; they always manage to chase down that one extra ball and stretch that little bit further, in turn making it that much harder and ultimately more of a physical battle.
Towards the end of the year players enter the Asian and Indoor swing looking visibly tired and almost as if they are being held together by tape, with severe strapping to their thighs, arms, wrists, backs and shoulders. This amount of strapping and number of retirements during tournaments is a telling sign that the sport is fast becoming more of a strain to the body than it was ten or more years ago, the length of rallies gets longer, as does the distance ran on court during the average match, leaving players weak by the end of each tournament and in need of a serious rest.
Rafael Nadal is a prime example of what the hectic play can do to the body; he suffers from tendinitis in the knees, a problem which causes him extreme pain during the transitioning of surfaces and affects his movement. Rafa always dominates the clay court season, playing each match like a bat out of hell, wanting to chase down and win every single point. This physicality that Nadal brings to the court ultimately leaves his body suffering after the clay court season, the last few years the grass court period has not proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard as he often withdraws from tournaments or loses in the early rounds. This pattern of play poses questions; should Nadal perhaps tone down his movement in the early stages of clay court tournaments to protect his knees from the problems to come, in order to sustain an all court game, or will he inevitably miss the grass court season altogether in order to let his body get back to full strength?
Another great player to suffer immensely with injury problems is former Grand Slam champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who suffered a wrist injury in late 2009, a year in which he threatened to become one of the best players in the world, beating Roger Federer in the final of 2009 US Open. Del Potro, sadly, has never been the same player since he underwent wrist surgery in 2010, and with a game as big as Del Potro’s, hitting the ball well is paramount; he is however planning a return to the game in early 2015, after missing the whole 2014 season.
The WTA has recently lost one of its brightest stars too. Li Na, the three-time Grand Slam champion, had to retire from the sport earlier this year, having missed the last few months due to injury. Much like Del Potro, Li was in the prime of her career, however she would often turn up to a match with heavy leg strapping. The last few months have caused Li to realise that the problems in her leg were too severe, ultimately causing her to retire from the sport.
One of the worst injuries and ailments an athlete can obtain is Mononucleosis: a debilitating viral infection causing immense fatigue and tiredness. Many players have contracted this disease over the years and overcome it; Roger Federer suffered from the disease early on in his career and managed to overcome it, as did Venus Williams, who contracted the disease during 2011; she has since been back on court playing like her old self at times. Not all players however do overcome “Mono.” Robin Soderling and Mario Ancic were two of tennis’s brightest stars, with their careers ahead of them, however both have since been forced out of the game because of this. Ancic now works as a sports lawyer, using his knowledge and experience of playing on tour in his new profession; as is Robin Soderling, who now runs the ATP 250 tournament in Stockholm, as well as designing his own sports apparel brand.
Robin Soderling was at the peak of his career: he burst onto the scene in a big way in 2009 at the French Open, beating Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the French Open; the only man to have done so. Robin went from strength to strength, winning titles and often taking big scalps in tournaments; he even reached a career high of world number four, with many people feeling he could potentially win a grand slam. In 2011 Robin had won three tournaments and looked to be having his best season to date, however during the grass court season he was visibly fatigued; a second round loss proved cause for concern, however a few weeks out and Robin looked back to his best, entering his hometown tournament of Bastard in which he blitzed the competition, taking the title without dropping a set; that tournament sadly proved to be his last; Robin has not played since, stating he is too weak to even train some days to even get up from the couch, in an interview he stated: “I used to be able to practice, get a massage, have something to eat and feel ready for the rest of the day. This time, it was like I basically had nothing left.”
With players missing tournaments, retiring early from matches and constantly needing medical attention during games raises a serious point: is the sport becoming to physical? Will players ultimately have to cut their career short or should the number of tournaments be decreased in order to protect the bodies of the athletes? With great players being forced to retire or miss years out of the game poses the question: just how much more physical can it get and how much more can their bodies take?
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