12 regular members of the top 20 are currently injured. Elbow, hip, wrist, ankle and back problems are some of the main injuries. What shall the ATP do in 2018?
By Ubaldo Scanagatta
LONDON – Yesterday Rafael Nadal threw in the towel at the ATP Finals that are currently underway at the prestigious O2 Arena in London. Despite the disappointment of the many fans that support the Spanish superstar worldwide, this is not a huge surprise. Truth be told, Rafa managed to show up healthy only 8 out of 13 times that he qualified for the season-ending championships.
The tournament organizers are now hoping that Roger Federer won’t get hurt throughout the remaining matches of the tournament, otherwise it could be a major blow for the entire competition. 2017 will not only be remembered as the year of two legends that were able to capture all four Slams at 36 and 31 years of age respectively, but it will also be remembered as a very unfortunate season with severe injuries that sidelined most of the top players.
The list of injuries is extremely long: Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic – the two No. 1 players of 2016 along with No. 4-ranked Stan Wawrinka haven’t played an official match since Wimbledon. Nole, who is currently out with an elbow injury, had competed in 51 consecutive Grand Slam events before missing this year’s US Open. Andy is out with a hip problem – attempted to play in New York, but withdrew at the last minute turning the entire draw upside down. A few weeks after Wimbledon, No. 3-ranked Raonic and No. 5-ranked Nishikori also disappeared from the tour to heal a calf and wrist injury respectively. Believe it or not, all of the top 5 players of 2016 are currently sidelined.
Serious injuries also sidelined No. 7-ranked Monfils, No. 10-ranked Berdych, No. 12-ranked Tsonga, No. 13-ranked Kyrgios and No. 18-ranked Gasquet for long stretches. With the addition of Rafa Nadal, 12 top-20 players are currently out with injuries, more than 50%. A couple of weeks ago, Nadal withdrew from the Paris Masters due to a recurrent knee injury. My season is over, Rafa said in his post-match press conference on Monday night in London. In the summer, Federer experienced some back problems while competing at the Canadian Open, which prevented him from properly preparing the US Open.
It is a true epidemic that is affecting the top stars on the ATP Tour. Most of them should be back in action at the Australian Open, even if Djokovic and Murray haven’t completely cleared the doubts concerning their injuries, which are yet to completely heal. A couple of days ago, Andre Agassi stated that Nole’s elbow was indeed broken, which explains such a slow recovery. Attempting to play the US Open was a mistake, I should have rested, Andy Murray candidly confessed.
Many wonder if the tour has too many events and commitments for the top stars who usually go deep in every tournament. All of these injuries should very much worry the tennis establishment, including the ATP, WTA and ITF. The reasons could be multiple: the length of the season from January to November without any breaks, the new racquets that enhance performances to the extreme, the strings that are too tight and the physical and psychological stress.
If the same catastrophe occurs in 2018 again, today’s yellow light will certainly turn red. Chris Kermode the CEO of the ATP has admitted that a toll on a player’s body is inevitable, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the living example that longevity is still possible in today’s game, despite a few “stop-and-go” moments.
This year Roger Federer decided to skip the entire clay court season and it is almost certain that he will do the same in 2018. On the other hand, many players are not aware of how far they can push their body and once they take the court, they fight until the bitter end, just like Rafa Nadal tried to do in his round-robin match against David Goffin in London yesterday.
When asked about the extremely busy tennis calendar, Rafa smiled and said: Roger is 36, while I am still 31. Shall I skip the grass court tournaments? I don’t think so. If I am healthy, I don’t see why I shouldn’t play. If I could turn back time, I would still make the same decisions that I made this year. I had an unforgettable season and I tried my best to compete and win the tournament this week, but I told the ATP that I would have withdrawn if my injury had bothered me. This year Rafa played 9 out of 9 Masters 1000 events, while Roger only played 4.
Nadal’s record at the ATP Finals:
- 2005: withdrew due to injury
- 2006: reached the semi-finals
- 2007: reached the semi-finals
- 2008: withdrew due to injury
- 2009: eliminated in the round-robin stage
- 2010: reached the final
- 2011: eliminated in the round-robin stage
- 2012: withdrew due to injury
- 2013: reached the final
- 2014: withdrew due to injury
- 2015: reached the semi-finals
- 2016: withdrew due to injury
- 2017: withdrew after only one match
Despite the injuries and multiple withdrawals, not too many players have competed more times than Rafa at the ATP Finals: Federer 15 times, Agassi 13, Lendl 12, Becker 11, Connors 11, Sampras 11, Djokovic 10, Edberg 9, McEnroe 9, Murray 8, Vilas 8 and Nadal 8. It is also important to mention that Rafa’s indoor record is much poorer than outdoor: The Spaniard won 84.2% of his outdoor matches and only 68.7% of his indoor matches.
Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions
