General / Barry Millns / 27 February 2008 /

Barry Millns runs through the careers plagued and often ruined by injury, and why it is 'impossible' to find a professional who has never been injured...

When Andre Agassi finally retired at the 2006 US Open, after a third round loss to Benjamin Becker, he literally hobbled off the court like an old man. The Las Vegan's many battles over the previous 20 years had taken their toll physically and, with an ailing back, the 36 year-old Agassi only managed to play for as long as he did by taking a series of painful cortisone injections.

Bearing in mind how many of Agassi's peers had hung up their rackets long before him, we were lucky to see one of the all-time 'greats' going on so far. Roger Federer has already talked of wanting to do likewise and he has stayed remarkably injury-free in his career to date, but even the Swiss, like every other professional, knows he could be just one injury away from the end of his career.

It is always sad when any player is forced to retire early because of injury, but especially the more talented ones. Only a few weeks ago Joachim Johansson of Sweden, who was ranked as high as No.9 in 2005 having been a US Open semi-finalist the year before, was forced to call it quits aged just 25 because of a recurring shoulder injury.

A few years ago hip and knee injuries got the better of another Swede in his mid-20's, Magnus Norman, a former world No.2 who won 12 career singles titles and was runner-up at the 2000 French Open. Multiple major champions Gustavo Kuerten and Monica Seles have also succumbed more recently and what might 31 year-old Jennifer Capriati still be achieving were it not for ongoing problems with her right shoulder which have kept her off the tour since 2004?

Even Mark Philippoussis, the same age as Capriati, is still hoping to make a comeback and end his injury-plagued career on a high after undergoing a fourth knee operation! There are plenty of other examples too numerous to mention and what is clear is that professional tennis is one of the more physical sports around which puts huge stresses on different parts of the body.

Aside from backs, shoulders, hips and knees many have hurt their wrists and ankles. More powerful rackets and strings, combined with the much faster pace of the modern game played much more on hard courts than ever before, certainly contribute to the problem and, as fit as they are, the pros tend to need all the physiotherapy they can get.

Of course, injuries can strike at any age - you don't have to be 'old and creaking' - and in the case of 22 year-old Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, lesser men might have given up long ago. In late 2004 he suffered a herniated disc that caused him to miss five months on the tour; then he had two right shoulder injuries later in 2005, followed by back and abdominal injuries from October 2005 to February 2006, prior to another abdominal injury at the end of 2006!

Finding a professional who has never been injured is impossible and there are plenty who have been dealt cruel blows on big occasions such as David Nalbandian, top seed this week in Acapulco and trading at [3.4] to win the title, who was forced to retire hurt with a pulled stomach muscle when one-set all against Federer in the semi-finals of the 2006 French Open. Similarly, Justine Henin, trading at [1.95] to defend her title this week in Dubai, pulled up with a knee injury in the deciding doubles rubber of the 2006 Fed Cup final between Belgium and Italy.

But thankfully not all injuries force such dramatic conclusions and on court treatment from the trainers, following their evaluation of the problems, generally ensures that the vast majority of matches are completed.

And in case you are wondering exactly what the rules are governing medical time-outs, the 2008 Grand Slam Rulebook includes the following:

- The Medical Time-Out is limited to three minutes of treatment.

- A player is allowed one Medical Time-Out for each distinct treatable medical condition. All clinical manifestations of heat illness and cramping shall be considered as one treatable medical condition.

- A total of two consecutive Medical Time-Outs may be allowed by the Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Supervisor or Chair Umpire for the special circumstance in which the Sports Medicine Therapist/Trainer determines that the player has developed at least two distinct acute and treatable medical conditions.

- A player may receive on-court medical treatment and/or supplies from the Sports Medicine Therapist/Trainer and/or Tournament Doctor during any changeover or set break. As a guideline, such medical treatment should be limited to two changeovers/set breaks for each treatable medical condition, before or after a Medical Time-Out, and need not be consecutive.

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