What would the right way be to mention an injury, especially after a loss

kragster · Dec 27, 2012

We criticize all the top guys for any mention of injuries after their losses. Some of these injuries are probably more serious and some are more a case of exaggeration. On the one hand, we can't take the player's words as the complete truth but on the other hand it seems wrong to bash every player every single time because undoubtedly at least some of these injuries are legit.

So I pose the question - let's say a player is really injured. How would you want them to bring it up (if at all), in the wake of a loss.

a) No mention of the injury at all, completely dismiss any connection between injury and loss. Dont talk about it even if brought up.
b) No mention unless news reporters specifically ask about injury and then you can mention that it may have affected your serve/movement/fitness etc
c) Bring up injury freely even without being asked if players genuinely feels that it significantly affected their performance

Also what would the right time be for a player to mention an injury? Before a match looks like excuse making, after the match looks like a sore loser.

dyldore · Dec 27, 2012

A/B mix. I wouldn't bring it up unless asked, and if I did bring it up I would not take credit away from the other player, ex. my arm hurt, but X played great tennis today...or something like that.

underground · Dec 27, 2012

Say you've got injury but dismiss it quickly after that, or just give lots of credit to your opponent and don't see how you're affected etc.

Murrayfan31 · Dec 27, 2012

You never say anything and take the loss like a man.

Hood_Man · Dec 27, 2012

Whenever. They'll get criticised for it based on how much the person dislikes them.

TMF · Dec 27, 2012

kragster said:
We criticize all the top guys for any mention of injuries after their losses. Some of these injuries are probably more serious and some are more a case of exaggeration. On the one hand, we can't take the player's words as the complete truth but on the other hand it seems wrong to bash every player every single time because undoubtedly at least some of these injuries are legit.

So I pose the question - let's say a player is really injured. How would you want them to bring it up (if at all), in the wake of a loss.

a) No mention of the injury at all, completely dismiss any connection between injury and loss. Dont talk about it even if brought up.
b) No mention unless news reporters specifically ask about injury and then you can mention that it may have affected your serve/movement/fitness etc
c) Bring up injury freely even without being asked if players genuinely feels that it significantly affected their performance

Also what would the right time be for a player to mention an injury? Before a match looks like excuse making, after the match looks like a sore loser.

you want to label everyone on the same page with Nadal. Sorry, nadal is in a complete level when it comes to excuses after a loss, that's including MTO. He's the only player that fans/commentors(eg PMac) suspected his injuries. The difference is night and day.

ollinger · Dec 27, 2012

Murrayfan31 illustrates why women have considerably longer lifespans on average than men -- because they don't have idiotic macho pride about their symptoms and are more likely to seek medical help for them. This pose of not mentioning injury after a match is an extension of that same silliness, that to be honest about your physical condition is either unmanly or unsporting, maybe both. It's foolishness. Answering a question honestly about your physical condition after a match is not demeaning to your opponent.

Phoenix1983 · Dec 27, 2012

Probably A or B.

veroniquem · Dec 27, 2012

Personally, I'd rather C, although most players are reluctant to do it because then, they get targeted for " excuse making". Ideally, the best thing would be: honesty above all and screw what other people think.

gregor.b · Dec 27, 2012

ollinger said:
Murrayfan31 illustrates why women have considerably longer lifespans on average than men -- because they don't have idiotic macho pride about their symptoms and are more likely to seek medical help for them. This pose of not mentioning injury after a match is an extension of that same silliness, that to be honest about your physical condition is either unmanly or unsporting, maybe both. It's foolishness. Answering a question honestly about your physical condition after a match is not demeaning to your opponent.

In response to the question asked, I go with 'A'.

In response to the above comment, I go with ' If you are not fit enough to play,forfeit the match'.

If you are fit enough to play, do so and take it like a man if you lose.

tacou · Dec 27, 2012

A) all the way. Like Roddick always said, if you decide to play you are 100%.

Warmaster · Dec 27, 2012

tacou said:
A) all the way. Like Roddick always said, if you decide to play you are 100%.

That doesn't mean you can't get injured during the game in which case I don't see any reason not to mention the injury when asked about it.

Ellipses · Dec 27, 2012

The problem with B is that no one ever cares about whether the reporter brought it up or not. That's why you have all the quote mining that goes on around here.

Personally, I would only publicly (and briefly) mention an injury if I was both asked about it and I won. Not perfect, but...

Hood_Man said:
Whenever. They'll get criticised for it based on how much the person dislikes them.

^ This.

albatros_forehand · Dec 27, 2012

Warmaster said:
That doesn't mean you can't get injured during the game in which case I don't see any reason not to mention the injury when asked about it.

So let's put it this way. If you decide to go on you are 100% (and no need to cry about it later)

Mick · Dec 27, 2012

in the old days, the australian players said if you decided to play then you're not injured.

woodrow1029 · Dec 27, 2012

Ask Nadal. He should be able to tell you.

Candide · Dec 27, 2012

Mick said:
in the old days, the australian players said if you decided to play then you're not injured.

Well said. Anyone who's ever played sport at any kind of level knows that playing injury free is the exception not the rule. If you can tie up your boots then you're fit enough to go.

sportsfan1 · Dec 27, 2012

The only correct option is a) "No mention of the injury at all, completely dismiss any connection between injury and loss. Dont talk about it even if brought up.", much like Rafa did after his loss to Ferrer in the the AO. Anything that's said about an injury, even if true, just makes it sound like an excuse.

Prisoner of Birth · Dec 27, 2012

Hood_Man said:
Whenever. They'll get criticised for it based on how much the person dislikes them.

Quoted for truth.

DragonBlaze · Dec 27, 2012

Hood_Man said:
Whenever. They'll get criticised for it based on how much the person dislikes them.

This was basically my response as soon as I read the thread title. Spot on.

Bobby Jr · Dec 27, 2012

veroniquem said:
Personally, I'd rather C, although most players are reluctant to do it because then, they get targeted for " excuse making". Ideally, the best thing would be: honesty above all and screw what other people think.

True. No other fashion of mentioning it goes without criticism from the cheap seats (or, in Nadal's case, the expensive seats too). These guys can't win so may as well get it over and done with.

Sure, Federer has mentioned his niggles before during press conferences in what seemed like an undignified manner but (after the Wimbledon loss to Berdych for example) he handled it about as well as he could and it was done after that. Nadal, by contrast, reinvents history by talking about it 6 months later as if it was the only/primary reason he lost - it shows a lack of thoughtfulness or maturity on his part, a single-minded attitude which is obvious in all aspects of his tennis. It's what makes him so successful but is also what makes people dislike him.

The way Nadal acts during matches - in particular the timing of his medical time-outs - is poor sportsmanship. He does himself no favours in that he lacks the self-awareness to change (or, worse, he simply doesn't care what others think of him - a trait which made Michael Schumacher one of the most loathed sportspersons on earth). I'd like to think it was just something he did early in his career but his quirks (his OCD stuff etc) have not abated one bit - if anything they're increasing.

intrepidish · Dec 27, 2012

Bobby Jr said:
True. No other fashion of mentioning it goes without criticism from the cheap seats (or, in Nadal's case, the expensive seats too). These guys can't win so may as well get it over and done with.

Sure, Federer has mentioned his niggles before during press conferences in what seemed like an undignified manner but (after the Wimbledon loss to Berdych for example) he handled it about as well as he could and it was done after that. Nadal, by contrast, reinvents history by talking about it 6 months later as if it was the only/primary reason he lost - it shows a lack of thoughtfulness or maturity on his part, a single-minded attitude which is obvious in all aspects of his tennis. It's what makes him so successful but is also what makes people dislike him.

The way Nadal acts during matches - in particular the timing of his medical time-outs - is poor sportsmanship. He does himself no favours in that he lacks the self-awareness to change (or, worse, he simply doesn't care what others think of him - a trait which made Michael Schumacher one of the most loathed sportspersons on earth). I'd like to think it was just something he did early in his career but his quirks (his OCD stuff etc) have not abated one bit - if anything they're increasing.

The paradigmatic message board delusional pundit/hater at work.

Hawkeye7 · Dec 27, 2012

Mention it whenever and let the haters hate. They will always find sth. to criticise.

Cup8489 · Dec 27, 2012

albatros_forehand said:
So let's put it this way. If you decide to go on you are 100% (and no need to cry about it later)

Or you can finish the match and not puss out. Personally I think Federer does the best about it most of the time. He might mention an injury if they ask, but always gives credit. (almost always, rather). And he doesn't retire. Just look at his match with murray at WTF 08, clearly having back issues but finished the match.

Sid_Vicious · Dec 27, 2012

tacou said:
A) all the way. Like Roddick always said, if you decide to play you are 100%.

Roddick was just talking big. He wasn't nearly as idealistic during press conferences after losing matches in which he played like crap. It is such a nonsensical statement. Tennis is a physical sport, if you are running a fever and lose 6-1 6-0, it is perfectly reasonable to say that your fever prevented you from playing your best. In 2007, Roddick lost to Dancevic at Indianapolis and claimed that he had a stomach bug caused from a late night fast food run.While it was a really stupid decision by Roddick, there is no doubt that he was way below 100% during that match. He was puking during the changeovers. You have to be a seriously obtuse person to claim that Roddick was 100% just because he showed up to play.

Most of the time, the pros get bashed for honesty. People bashed Djokovic after he claimed that his right eye was badly irritated by a moving contact lense in his match again Nadal (WTF 2010). It was easy for people on this forum to bash players, but those people should go out and try playing tennis with a contact lense that is sliding back and forth and then see how close to "100%" their tennis games were.

monfed · Dec 27, 2012

TMF said:
you want to label everyone on the same page with Nadal. Sorry, nadal is in a complete level when it comes to excuses after a loss, that's including MTO. He's the only player that fans/commentors(eg PMac) suspected his injuries. The difference is night and day.

EXACTLY! You absolutely got where the OP's getting at. Basically the OP is slinging mud on non-Nadal fans.

Tennis_Hands · Dec 27, 2012

Mick said:
in the old days, the australian players said if you decided to play then you're not injured.

That was when real men walked on court.

To answer the question of the OP.

1/2.

For Christ's sake, DO NOT talk about injuries, when going back to past results and matches. Makes you look like a d*****bag.

monfed said:
EXACTLY! You absolutely got where the OP's getting at. Basically the OP is slinging mud on non-Nadal fans.

This is a somewhat revived tactic from the *************.

If they cannot get Hafa out of the water dry, they bring everybody to his level.

Towser83 · Dec 27, 2012

I think generally you should be honest, but then be honest before the match as well. Don't lose and then bring up an injury you never mentioned before.

Also I would state that even if it effected my performance, I could have lost the match anyway.

And if you are getting injured every time you lose, maybe that's the time to play it down a bit..

Clarky21 · Dec 27, 2012

Towser83 said:
I think generally you should be honest, but then be honest before the match as well. Don't lose and then bring up an injury you never mentioned before.

Also I would state that even if it effected my performance, I could have lost the match anyway.

And if you are getting injured every time you lose, maybe that's the time to play it down a bit..

I wouldn't come out and tell my opponents that I am injured beforehand. I would not want to help them beat me by telling them I am hurting physically in some way.

sbengte · Dec 27, 2012

sportsfan1 said:
The only correct option is a) "No mention of the injury at all, completely dismiss any connection between injury and loss. Dont talk about it even if brought up.", much like Rafa did after his loss to Ferrer in the the AO. Anything that's said about an injury, even if true, just makes it sound like an excuse.

Huh ? That was probably the only time he was genuinely injured during a match and it showed to some extent during the match. He made it more than obvious during the entire match through his actions that he pulled a muscle or something in one of those brutal rallies in the first set, so there was no need for him to give a detailed report on his injury during the PC. The whole world saw it and the press would write about it anyway, so the loss was justified and attributed to injury without him uttering a word about it officially.

On the other hand, after sweeping most of the clay season, winning RG with the loss of one set, entering singles and doubles in Halle and looking fully fit running like a rabbit showing no signs of injury while getting outplayed by Rosol, thereafter slowly leaking 'injury' reports to the media over the next few months to handle the embarrassment of losing to a #100 player - now that is something else. No one but the Nadal camp does that, over and over again after every shocking loss.

sbengte · Dec 27, 2012

Clarky21 said:
I wouldn't come out and tell my opponents that I am injured beforehand. I would not want to help them beat me by telling them I am hurting physically in some way.

Agree, it makes no sense. But it depends on the player, I guess. Some people possibly use the reverse psychology i.e announce you are injured, possibly with an exaggeration, so as to reduce expectations before the match. Then surprise the opponent by playing above the level expected of you.

Feather · Dec 27, 2012

sbengte said:
Huh ? That was probably the only time he was genuinely injured during a match and it showed to some extent during the match. He made it more than obvious during the entire match through his actions that he pulled a muscle or something in one of those brutal rallies in the first set, so there was no need for him to give a detailed report on his injury during the PC. The whole world saw it and the press would write about it anyway, so the loss was justified and attributed to injury without him uttering a word about it officially.

On the other hand, after sweeping most of the clay season, winning RG with the loss of one set, entering singles and doubles in Halle and looking fully fit running like a rabbit showing no signs of injury while getting outplayed by Rosol and thereafter slowly leaking 'injury' reports to the media over the next few months to handle the embarrassment of losing to a #100 player - now that is something else. No one but the Nadal camp does that, over and over again after every shocking loss.

Recently Rafa hinted that he was not well during IW. And what did he do? He played Miami the very next week :wink:

adil1972 · Dec 28, 2012

when Arantxa Sánchez Vicario defeated graf in us open final 1994 (i dont remember the year), the announcer tried to blame steffi graf bad back for her loss, which steffi denied

Towser83 · Dec 28, 2012

Clarky21 said:
I wouldn't come out and tell my opponents that I am injured beforehand. I would not want to help them beat me by telling them I am hurting physically in some way.

well then saying you have an injury afterwards looks like an excuse. Also I don't think it matters if you say you are injured before a match. How is that going to help your opponent?

Who actually believes any injuries these days? Nadal is always injured and trying his best to be at 100% because if not, it's going to be impossible, no? How many times has he won tournaments taped up and supposedly battling injury? Not to get at Nadal at this time especially, but you have to admit Nadal has often turned up with some problem and a lot of times still won. Because i can't ever remamber him saying he was 100% yet he's still won 11 slams and 22 masters etc.

Djokovic has injuries that you don't believe, so if he said "I have a bit of a problem" is anyone going to gain an advantage from that? They could simply think it's a trick. You know, playing possum

I wouldn't gain any confidence playing someone who said they were injured, if anything I'd feel more pressure from being expected to win.

plus you don't have to say your leg is falling off, but at least if you say you have a small problem you can admit later it was slightly worse, instead of it coming out of nowhere.

What would the right way be to mention an injury, especially after a loss

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