tennisjunkiela
Semi-Pro
Hard courts, not the long tennis season, is the main reason for all the injuries that are decimating the ATP and WTA tours.
Before 1978, none of the four Grand Slam tournaments were played on hard courts. The Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open (except for three years) were on grass while the French Open was contested on clay.
Unlike today’s players who only play 12-14 tournaments on average (fed played 14 this year), it was very common for players during McEnroe and Navratilova’s heyday to play 18+ tournaments a year. Navratilova, for example, would play 80+ matches a year in singles alone, plus a full schedule of doubles and mixed doubles, plus Fed Cup (often over 200 matches per year cumulatively). Same for McEnroe. So obviously the often cited long tennis season isn't the culprit.
Since the massive switch to hard courts (which historically favor American players) by the ATP and WTA (two American-based companies), tennis has increasingly become an injury-riddled sport.
I think that tennis needs to address the scheduling issues and the long season, but the real cure to tennis’ injury ills is, addressing the issue of all the hard court tournaments.
See below, former player john alexander’s viewpoint on the subject:
John Alexander slams hard surfaces
By Margie McDonald - November 16, 2005
"THE key to reducing the sport's increasing injury toll lies in reducing the number of tournaments on hard courts, rather than shortening the season."
That is the view of (Australian) Fed Cup captain John Alexander, a former top-10 Australian player, who said hard courts could be directly blamed for turning the men's glamorous end-of-year tournament, the Masters Cup in Shanghai, into a farce.
Only one of the top five men in the world, Roger Federer, is left in the eight-man event in China after just two days of competition following the withdrawal early yesterday through injury of Spain's world No.2 Rafael Nadal and No.5 Andre Agassi.
Before the tournament began American Andy Roddick and Russia's Marat Safin withdrew from the ATP-ITF's $US3.7 nmillion ($5.07m) event with injuries, while Lleyton Hewitt pulled out because of the impending birth of his first child.
There have been growing calls for the season, which extends from the first week of January to mid-November (or early December for players involved in the Davis Cup final), to be shortened.
But Alexander said the number of matches played had little bearing on injuries and more to do with the courts, as well as the intensity of the physical contest and pace of the game with vastly improved racquets and balls.
"I have absolutely no doubt I played more events in 1975 than anyone on the circuit today," Alexander said. "I played between 30 to 35 events plus I played Davis Cup, World Cup and Challenge Cup matches."
Federer has played 14 tournaments and one Davis Cup tie for 80 singles matches so far in 2005. Nadal has played 21 events and two cup ties for 89 matches.
But they are the only two in the top five with 80-plus matches.
American John McEnroe played 85 matches for 82 wins and three losses in his record-breaking year of 1984.
"One thing in particular is the surface they are playing on now," Alexander said.
"Agassi's lower back condition and now his ankle is certainly because he's playing too much on hard courts.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. It's just the elite.
"You've got Lleyton Hewitt with a toe operation, that's hard courts; you've got Agassi; Martina Hingis couldn't play past 21 because of her ankle; Darren Cahill, Agassi's coach, injured his knee on hard courts and had his career stopped at 25.
"There is no concerted effort to get rid of hard courts and that's what needs to happen."
Shanghai tournament director and former Australia Davis Cup player Brad Drewett called for "vigorous debate" on scheduling, although he denied the ATP Tour's crowded calendar was solely to blame.
Before 1978, none of the four Grand Slam tournaments was played on hard courts. The Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open (except for three years) were on grass while the French Open was contested on clay.
But the US Open moved to hard courts in 1978 and the Australian Open followed in 1988, which meant all their lead-up tournaments also converted to hard surfaces.
"If you go back to '74-75 when three Grand Slams were still on grass, knee injuries were virtually non-existent," Alexander said.
"Neale Fraser had knee surgery in 1961 or '62 and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone else who had a knee operation. It just didn't happen. Or find someone who stopped playing at the age of 25 or 21."
A spokesman for Tennis Australia said future player development programs were incorporating more sports science and fitness elements to recognise the increasing demands placed on the body.
Source: The Australian
Before 1978, none of the four Grand Slam tournaments were played on hard courts. The Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open (except for three years) were on grass while the French Open was contested on clay.
Unlike today’s players who only play 12-14 tournaments on average (fed played 14 this year), it was very common for players during McEnroe and Navratilova’s heyday to play 18+ tournaments a year. Navratilova, for example, would play 80+ matches a year in singles alone, plus a full schedule of doubles and mixed doubles, plus Fed Cup (often over 200 matches per year cumulatively). Same for McEnroe. So obviously the often cited long tennis season isn't the culprit.
Since the massive switch to hard courts (which historically favor American players) by the ATP and WTA (two American-based companies), tennis has increasingly become an injury-riddled sport.
I think that tennis needs to address the scheduling issues and the long season, but the real cure to tennis’ injury ills is, addressing the issue of all the hard court tournaments.
See below, former player john alexander’s viewpoint on the subject:
John Alexander slams hard surfaces
By Margie McDonald - November 16, 2005
"THE key to reducing the sport's increasing injury toll lies in reducing the number of tournaments on hard courts, rather than shortening the season."
That is the view of (Australian) Fed Cup captain John Alexander, a former top-10 Australian player, who said hard courts could be directly blamed for turning the men's glamorous end-of-year tournament, the Masters Cup in Shanghai, into a farce.
Only one of the top five men in the world, Roger Federer, is left in the eight-man event in China after just two days of competition following the withdrawal early yesterday through injury of Spain's world No.2 Rafael Nadal and No.5 Andre Agassi.
Before the tournament began American Andy Roddick and Russia's Marat Safin withdrew from the ATP-ITF's $US3.7 nmillion ($5.07m) event with injuries, while Lleyton Hewitt pulled out because of the impending birth of his first child.
There have been growing calls for the season, which extends from the first week of January to mid-November (or early December for players involved in the Davis Cup final), to be shortened.
But Alexander said the number of matches played had little bearing on injuries and more to do with the courts, as well as the intensity of the physical contest and pace of the game with vastly improved racquets and balls.
"I have absolutely no doubt I played more events in 1975 than anyone on the circuit today," Alexander said. "I played between 30 to 35 events plus I played Davis Cup, World Cup and Challenge Cup matches."
Federer has played 14 tournaments and one Davis Cup tie for 80 singles matches so far in 2005. Nadal has played 21 events and two cup ties for 89 matches.
But they are the only two in the top five with 80-plus matches.
American John McEnroe played 85 matches for 82 wins and three losses in his record-breaking year of 1984.
"One thing in particular is the surface they are playing on now," Alexander said.
"Agassi's lower back condition and now his ankle is certainly because he's playing too much on hard courts.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. It's just the elite.
"You've got Lleyton Hewitt with a toe operation, that's hard courts; you've got Agassi; Martina Hingis couldn't play past 21 because of her ankle; Darren Cahill, Agassi's coach, injured his knee on hard courts and had his career stopped at 25.
"There is no concerted effort to get rid of hard courts and that's what needs to happen."
Shanghai tournament director and former Australia Davis Cup player Brad Drewett called for "vigorous debate" on scheduling, although he denied the ATP Tour's crowded calendar was solely to blame.
Before 1978, none of the four Grand Slam tournaments was played on hard courts. The Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open (except for three years) were on grass while the French Open was contested on clay.
But the US Open moved to hard courts in 1978 and the Australian Open followed in 1988, which meant all their lead-up tournaments also converted to hard surfaces.
"If you go back to '74-75 when three Grand Slams were still on grass, knee injuries were virtually non-existent," Alexander said.
"Neale Fraser had knee surgery in 1961 or '62 and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone else who had a knee operation. It just didn't happen. Or find someone who stopped playing at the age of 25 or 21."
A spokesman for Tennis Australia said future player development programs were incorporating more sports science and fitness elements to recognise the increasing demands placed on the body.
Source: The Australian