Question: If Tennis players are "fitter than ever", has the injury rate reduced ? If not, why ?

[Silverbullet96]

This is more of a question, than a discussion. I feel like it would be common sense, if it's true what fans & players widely claim that the players are fitter than ever because of more professionalism, better medical practices etc. then the injury rate should be reducing gradually, the difference should be quite drastic comparing to say 80s/90s and before. So has anyone noticed any/done any research on the decrease in injury rate over the years ? I've only followed Tennis since 2012, and I personally haven't noticed a reduce in injuries in particular, though obviously I wasn't purposely doing any research. Even this year we have seen already a lot of players get injured bad enough to retire mid-match/get sidelined.
What is everyone else's observation on this ? If you haven't noticed any change or the frequency of injuries has increased, why do you think that is, despite the modern players being lauded as "fitter than ever" ?

 

[big ted]

seems like more injuries to me, esp the kind that take months to recover..
the games alot more explosive now so..

 

[DSH]

seems like more injuries to me, esp the kind that take months to recover..
the games alot more explosive now so..

What can you tell me about the fact that for years more than 50% of the tour has been played on hard courts, isn't it bad for tennis players' joints to play so many matches on that surface?

 

[Terenigma]

I've been watching tennis since roughly the mid 90s although back then I was young so probably didn't fully grasp the sport on the whole as much as I do now but in my view, players are getting injured at a much higher rate these days, I disagree with the assessment that players are fitter now but they ARE heathier because of medical improvements but that could also be a bad thing.

fans & players widely claim that the players are fitter than ever because of more professionalism, better medical practices etc.

I think this right here is the problem. Too much is out of the hands of the actual bodies of players, They are not actual combat trained into enduring long 4-5 hour matches because of how much off-court help is there to help assist them. Yeah they train a lot and are probably from a medical POV very healthy but it's like how babies raised in a health bubble sometimes have worse immune systems growing up because their body didn't build up that immunity naturally from eating dirt or chewing on sofas. I know it's a little weird to say but I feel players need to naturally heal actual injuries and not be pampered medically back onto court.

 

[big ted]

What can you tell me about the fact that for years more than 50% of the tour has been played on hard courts, isn't it bad for tennis players' joints to play so many matches on that surface?

thats true too but i also see injuries on clay... tennis is getting really physical now, compared to mcenroe and connors days.
alot of them didnt even lift weights back then, just jumped rope. and being light and quick was the name of the game.
now strength is a big factor

 

[Rosstour]

I've been watching tennis since roughly the mid 90s although back then I was young so probably didn't fully grasp the sport on the whole as much as I do now but in my view, players are getting injured at a much higher rate these days, I disagree with the assessment that players are fitter now but they ARE heathier because of medical improvements but that could also be a bad thing.

I think this right here is the problem. Too much is out of the hands of the actual bodies of players, They are not actual combat trained into enduring long 4-5 hour matches because of how much off-court help is there to help assist them. Yeah they train a lot and are probably from a medical POV very healthy but it's like how babies raised in a health bubble sometimes have worse immune systems growing up because their body didn't build up that immunity naturally from eating dirt or chewing on sofas. I know it's a little weird to say but I feel players need to naturally heal actual injuries and not be pampered medically back onto court.

Doesn't sound "weird", it sounds ignorant.

Athletes "healed naturally" back in the good ol' days and they were done by 30.

 

[DSH]

Doesn't sound "weird", it sounds ignorant.

Athletes "healed naturally" back in the good ol' days and they were done by 30.

Don't you believe in magic potions?

 

[Rosstour]

Don't you believe in magic potions?

Yes, but they've been using those since the 1950s.

I'm sure @Terenigma is also including the 1970s, 80s, 90s, in the Good Old Days When Everything Was Better.

 

[Terenigma]

Doesn't sound "weird", it sounds ignorant.

Athletes "healed naturally" back in the good ol' days and they were done by 30.

I mean you're not wrong but I still do feel like young tennis players these days are WAY too coddled. It's honestly embarrassing seeing these young barely 20 year old players have to pull out injured or retire meanwhile you've got metal hip Murray winning matches, making finals and putting some of these players to shame. Also let's be honest here, do you really think we're going to be seeing someone like Sinner or Rune still competing and winning matches at 35? Because I highly doubt it.

I'm sure @Terenigma is also including the 1970s, 80s, 90s, in the Good Old Days When Everything Was Better.

90s WAS better haha but that's as far back as I go. I'm old but not that old

 

[Holmes]

Doesn't sound "weird", it sounds ignorant.

Athletes "healed naturally" back in the good ol' days and they were done by 30.

So medical treatments do a play a factor in why Pete retired at 31, and Feddy at 41.

Interesting. Glad we've sorted this out and will never, ever have to debate this topic again.

 

[Rosstour]

I mean you're not wrong but I still do feel like young tennis players these days are WAY too coddled.

Tell us more about your feelings, Mr Alpha

"Gutting it out" is a great way to make a routine injury worse, and I think there's a fair amount of players who have cost themselves dearly by trying to "gut it out" so guys like you wouldn't think they were soft

Who does that help at the end of the day?

 

[insideguy]

I'm not sure but I think you see this across most pro sports now. Guys dont play like they use to with minor injuries. One can be annoyed at this but it probably prolongs their careers.

 

[The Fedfather]

I don't think top players nowadays seem particularly more or less fit/injury prone than the guys of several previous generations. Mostly the younger elites are just taller on average than they used to be.

 

[Terenigma]

Tell us more about your feelings, Mr Alpha

"Gutting it out" is a great way to make a routine injury worse, and I think there's a fair amount of players who have cost themselves dearly by trying to "gut it out" so guys like you wouldn't think they were soft

Who does that help at the end of the day?

The audience and my opinion is too many players fold away with a minor injury or no injury. Obviously it doesn't always work out but I'm not suggesting players just blindly play on with a serious injury that is hampering them and risk making it worse. What I am saying is you don't need to have a MTO every 10mins to rub your legs and arms and stroke your hair just because you're feeling a bit tired.

Also for real what is up with your "Mr Alpha" comment? If you disagree with my opinion about tennis then I'm all for that and let's discuss it, even with a bit of salt thrown or disagreements in but let's not resort to personal attacks. Yeah?

 

[Rosstour]

The audience and my opinion is too many players fold away with a minor injury or no injury. Obviously it doesn't always work out but I'm not suggesting players just blindly play on with a serious injury that is hampering them and risk making it worse. What I am saying is you don't need to have a MTO every 10mins to rub your legs and arms and stroke your hair just because you're feeling a bit tired.

Also for real what is up with your "Mr Alpha" comment? If you disagree with my opinion about tennis then I'm all for that and let's discuss it, even with a bit of salt thrown or disagreements in but let's not resort to personal attacks. Yeah?

How is me calling you an Alpha male an attack? Clearly you're cut from tougher stuff than these mugs like Tsitsipas and Alcaraz.

Anyway...if you don't like repeated MTOs, talk to the Spanish Bull and the Serbian Wolf. Two of the toughest, most Alpha guys on tour.

 

[jimmy8]

You can't strengthen and stretch every tendon, ligament and muscle every day. You can be fit and have vulnerabilities.

 

[Bambooman]

They are fitter but the game is played at a more intense level so they are still flirting with physical limits.

 

[Purestriker]

This is more of a question, than a discussion. I feel like it would be common sense, if it's true what fans & players widely claim that the players are fitter than ever because of more professionalism, better medical practices etc. then the injury rate should be reducing gradually, the difference should be quite drastic comparing to say 80s/90s and before. So has anyone noticed any/done any research on the decrease in injury rate over the years ? I've only followed Tennis since 2012, and I personally haven't noticed a reduce in injuries in particular, though obviously I wasn't purposely doing any research. Even this year we have seen already a lot of players get injured bad enough to retire mid-match/get sidelined.
What is everyone else's observation on this ? If you haven't noticed any change or the frequency of injuries has increased, why do you think that is, despite the modern players being lauded as "fitter than ever" ?

Slower courts means more physical punishment and so being “fitter” doesn’t help injuries. If they sped up the courts to the speed of the 80’s serve and volley era then I think you would see less injuries. But TV ratings would suffer as fans want longer rallies.

 

[Arjuntino]

There is also a correlation with string technology, and lighter rackets.

Maybe it allows for a more physical game, but is also less friendly.

 

[Silverbullet96]

There is also a correlation with string technology, and lighter rackets.

Maybe it allows for a more physical game, but is also less friendly.

But shouldn't the game be easier physically with better advanced racquets ? I believe the modern racquets are lighter than old ones.

 

[BenC]

They are fitter but the game is played at a more intense level so they are still flirting with physical limits.

and the consequences for breaching those higher limits are possibly more severe.

 

[Arjuntino]

But shouldn't the game be easier physically with better advanced racquets ? I believe the modern racquets are lighter than old ones.

I'm not an expert, but I guess the cost of harder shots, lighter frames, and more spin, could be more fatigue on the body? In the sense more feedback, shock, vibrations.

Couple of trends.
On average new players are using more retail like frames, fritz, alcaraz, kyrgios, all supposedly use very close to retail frames. Likely because that's what they used growing up. Off the top of my head, I don't know the ratio of full poly to hybrid ratio now. But I think full poly is climbing up in usage.

Poly strings started becoming popular in the early 2000s.

If you look at college tennis, there are a lot of players suffering from arm problems, but just "tough it out" cause they play better.

For comparison, retail frames of 20-30 years ago, were heavier. Even nadals frame has a crazy swing weight.

 

[travlerajm]

I think tennis players are using lighter racquets and are more reliant on explosive motions for their level. Hence, more injuries than ever.

 

[Arjuntino]

But shouldn't the game be easier physically with better advanced racquets ? I believe the modern racquets are lighter than old ones.

There was an excel sheet floating around. Not sure how updated it is.

I've compiled a spreadsheet of all the pro specs on TW. The unstrung specs still need to be adjusted and it still needs some editing. . I'll try and finish it in the next month or two, if I have some free time. Feel free to edit it yourself.

Pro specs

docs.google.com

 

[Arjuntino]

There was an excel sheet floating around. Not sure how updated it is.

From eyeballing/sorting by weight. traffic, theim, tsitsipas, kyrigios, faa, all were on the lower end

 

[Vanilla Slice]

Hard to tell.

My assumption would be overall health and treatment is better. Also, with the athleticism required in the modern game, players may be more fit for grueling physical play.

But injuries may still be high due to the strain required on muscles these days. I don’t see why players cannot both be more fit and injury rates still be the same/high.

 

[Purestriker]

But shouldn't the game be easier physically with better advanced racquets ? I believe the modern racquets are lighter than old ones.

The racket has nothing to do with the pounding your body takes on a hardcourt with 20+ shot rallies for hours on end.

 

[McLovin]

I'm not where you've gotten the idea that "better fitness" somehow equates to "fewer injuries", but it is a complete fallacy.

How "fit" you are has absolutely nothing to do with ankle rolls, shoulder injuries, back injuries, muscle strains/tears, etc. Sure, flexibility can help in not straining/tearing muscles, but I've done Tae Kwon Do for decades and can tell you there are a crap-ton of people who are bordering on obese that have an unbelievable stretch. Likewise, I've probably never been in better shape and can't stretch for beans...and I do yoga every week.

 

[graycrait]

 

[Connor35]

The game is more physical than ever. Watch TV matches from the 80s: rallies were shorter, players definitely ran less, etc etc. So the game is harder on the body now.

That said, players play longer than ever before. Not just the big 3 (+Murray) but plenty of other guys in their mid 30s still out grinding like Richard Gasquet. I don't think we saw that quite as much in the 80s and 90s (obviously we did in the 70s as the pros who couldnt play before 68 tried to hang out).

So I think players are healthier with more longevity. And of course injuries are unavoidable for some.

 

[Purestriker]

I'm not where you've gotten the idea that "better fitness" somehow equates to "fewer injuries", but it is a complete fallacy.

How "fit" you are has absolutely nothing to do with ankle rolls, shoulder injuries, back injuries, muscle strains/tears, etc. Sure, flexibility can help in not straining/tearing muscles, but I've done Tae Kwon Do for decades and can tell you there are a crap-ton of people who are bordering on obese that have an unbelievable stretch. Likewise, I've probably never been in better shape and can't stretch for beans...and I do yoga every week.

I interpreted OP as in better diet, exercise routines, PT etc. that really started in the 80's and has been adopted by all to have changed injury frequency. That theory ignores that the game is different and to your point a lot of injuries can just happen.

 

[Clay lover]

Shots are struck harder meaning more running, change of directions etc. etc. Modern technique while conducive to involving the whole body into the shot also strains it more

 

[Fairhit]

A more physical game, faster balls, more power and the fact that when you are fit, it doesn´t mean you bones and cartilages wont suffer from all those excruciating long matches.

Add to it that players are taller and they have to bend more, they have to run faster and those muscles add weight, the extreme physical conditions make them prone for injuries regardless of their peak fittness.

 

[Connor35]

And 5-set matches back then were much shorter than now.
When everyone was serve & volley, points were much shorter.

 

[jm1980]

What can you tell me about the fact that for years more than 50% of the tour has been played on hard courts, isn't it bad for tennis players' joints to play so many matches on that surface?

Welcome to the boards, Uncle Toni

 

[vandre]

without a doubt, i believe there are more injuries to tennis players now than in the past. our local d1 men's team had 4 players who missed duals due to arm injuries last season ( 2 were in and out of the line up week to week, the other 2 missed the entire season).

 

[DSH]

Welcome to the boards, Uncle Toni

Gracias, sobrino.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Fitter or stronger faster better ?

Fitness should reduce when players become stronger faster better. They are playing to their limits. More spin, more pace. Ultra fast movement side to side. Sliding.

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

Conditions are just too slow. I’m very surprised Nadal and Djokovic haven’t completely snapped both legs in half completely yet to be honest. That’s a lot of years of these rough conditions of long points. The human body can only take so much regardless of how “fit” you are

 

[Benf15harp3000]

It’s from overtraining especially at a young age.
Now there’s so much money in sports particularly nba mlb etc but also tennis in forms of sponsorships moreso than prize money.
Tennis training used to consist primarily of on court work …since around early 2000’s that’s changed to more off court work ie weights explosive movements ie plyos etc which is just killing a lot kids bodies and by the time they make it they are burnt out physically shortly thereafter as their bodies are so broken down.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Being fitter really isn't great protection from injury. If anything, more explosive movements and higher speeds can increase stress on joints, ligaments and tendons. There is little you can do other than stretching to protect those tissues.

What you are seeing is the pushing of human performance to the level of its structural capabilities. And that's going to lead to more breakdowns. Think of an F1 car vs a Toyota Corolla. Which one is going to be higher maintenance?

 

[jhhachamp]

This is a pointless thread because players do not get injured due to lack of fitness. They are unrelated. If anything, the better fitness level is allowing players to push the limit further and even putting them at greater risk of injury.