Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have reputations for being supreme athletes, but a grueling tennis season that offers little time to recover has left them among a number of big-name players who will be missing from the US Open with injuries.
Despite medical advances and a greater understanding by the players on how their bodies work, there is little down time for anyone who wants to be a regular competitor during the ATP and WTA seasons, which last about 11 and 10 months respectively.
“Most of the injuries in tennis are what are classified as overuse,” ATP vice president of medical services Todd Ellenbecker said in an e-mail. “Not one particular force or trauma, but a continued, repeated overload of smaller forces.”
Five top-11 men’s players are among those who have said they will miss the year’s final grand slam, which started yesterday in New York: former world No. 1 Djokovic (elbow), Andy Murray (hip), last year’s champion Wawrinka (knee), Canada’s Milos Raonic (wrist) and Japan’s Kei Nishikori (wrist).
With a non-stop stream of tournaments on hard courts, grass and clay, coupled with rackets that allow players to hit the ball harder than ever before, the physical toll on bodies can mount up.
“Tennis is indeed unique in that it is one of the only high-level sports played on multiple surfaces at the elite level,” Ellenbecker said.
After matches, a player’s focus shifts immediately from performance to recovery, Ellenbecker said.
Kathleen Stroia, the WTA senior vice president of sport sciences & medicine and transitions, said the schedule helps players limit changes in court surfaces, but they must still plan accordingly for the transitions.
Former world No. 1 Roger Federer, who had been blessed with a body that seemed bullet-proof against the aches, pains and injuries suffered by most top athletes, is in the midst of one of the greatest-ever comebacks from injury.
After missing the second half of last season with a knee problem, Federer has won five titles this year, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon trophies.
The Swiss is also aware that now aged 36, he also has to be cautious about how far he should push his body, hence opting to skip the clay-court season, but it paid off for the Swiss as just weeks later, he became the first man to win eight Wimbledon titles.
The run enjoyed by Federer and 37-year-old Venus Williams has prompted many to ask whether a 40-year-old could soon walk off with one of the grand slam titles.
“The amount of off-court work, human recovery efforts and elite tennis skill development we are seeing now on the ATP World Tour where 43 of the top 100 players are age 30 or more tells us that this indeed could be possible,” Ellenbecker said.
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