News flash: Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup and Western and Southern Open both of which he won last year and his status for the US Open remains questionable. Incredulously, it is not his knees but his right wrist.
Nadal’s laundry list of injuries – knees, back, elbow, shoulder, foot, ankle and now wrist – are well documented; what isn’t, are the other ailments plaguing many players on the ATP Tour namely mononucleosis and hip surgery.
One doesn’t need to conduct extensive research to uncover Tommy Haas, David Nabaldian, Lleyton Hewitt, Gustavo Kuerten (hip surgery) and Mario Ancic, Roger Federer and Robin Soderling (mono). Soderling is still MIA after reaching a career high ranking of 4 in the world after consecutive French Open Finals in 2009 & 2010. The severity of the virus varies as does a person’s ability to thwart and eradicate infection.
The three other members of the ‘Big Four’ have also suffered from troublesome physical ailments. Andy Murray underwent back surgery last year while Novak Djokovic withdrew from several clay court tournaments prior to the French Open this year with a wrist injury. Roger Federer, who has miraculously managed to remain injury free over the course of his illustrious career, also struggled with a debilitating back injury for the better part of 2013.
For the top players, the ATP Tour lasts a grueling 11 months, culminating in the season-ending World Tour Finals contested the second week of November.
Twenty-first century tennis players are performing at an exceedingly demanding physical level, spending an ever increasing number of hours training off-court as well as on-court, striving to surpass current rivals and emboldened upstarts. The physicality and mental toll of the sport is incalculable and one has only to look at the plethora of tournament withdrawals to grasp the urgency and need for reform.
Unquestionably, peak physical conditioning breeds improved mental stamina, both of which produce enhanced on-court belief. For a top player, trusting that the body will not betray them is empowering and provides enormous confidence as well as an edge against opponents when a match gets tight. Ironically, scheduling, training and advanced equipment technology has produced more fragile not stronger players.
All Masters Series 1000, 500 and 250 level tournaments are played best of three sets; only the four Grand Slam tournaments are best of five. In my estimation, change is imminent and in the best interest of both the players and the ATP Tour.
Playing best of five set matches over a fortnight year after year essentially guarantees serious injury and a shortened career. As Billie Jean King proclaimed, “you only have so many miles in your legs.”
In order to prevent chronic and possibly career-ending injuries, all matches leading up to the semi-finals at the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open should be best of three with the last two rounds – the semi-finals and final – best of five.
No one loves a hotly contested, well-played epic, five set Grand Slam final more than me. One has only to replay the Wimbledon final played just one month ago between Djokovic and Federer for confirmation. That being said, how often does this happen during the early rounds at a Grand Slam?
I contend that players, as well as fans, would embrace this change. How often is Arthur Ashe Stadium filled to capacity during a five-set night match the first week of the US Open?
Who wants to leave the BJK National Tennis Center at 2am to ride the train back to Manhattan? Best of three sets through the quarter-finals would ensure quicker matches, earlier completion of the day’s schedule of play and most importantly, well-rested, healthy players.
Certainly, this is a recipe for success and a win-win for the players, tournament directors and fans, for the last two rounds most probably will be contested at an exceptionally high level. The possibility of a classic five set thriller will entice fans to the stadium and those at home to tune in.
As a life-long devotee of this incredible sport, I cherish the Grand Slam tournaments for they are the jewels in the crown and as such, should be harder to win. They ought to be set apart from the other tournaments on the tour – not just in number of matches played and days off between matches – but in number of sets contested which is why I firmly assert that the semi-finals and final remain best of five set matches.
This will serve a dual purpose; safe-guard the health and longevity of the players while maintaining the exalted status of these four great and grand tournaments just as the tennis gods intended.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me @CaporaleEmmy and the LWOS Tennis department on Twitter – @tennisfollows. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
