Men’s tennis: has it become too gruelling?
Men’s tennis is facing an “injury crisis”, said Simon Briggs in The Daily Telegraph. Just before the US Open began this week, Andy Murray pulled out with a longrunning hip problem. Also injured are both of last year’s finalists, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, along with 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori, and 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic. Is this long list of crocked players a coincidence – or evidence of deeper problems within the modern game?
Today’s tennis stars aren’t actually playing more than their predecessors, said Russell Fuller on BBC Sport online. Murray had 87 matches last year, only two more than John Mcenroe played in 1984. But the game is far more “physically demanding” than it used to be, with longer sets and more intense points. Technology also plays a part, said Paul Newman in The Independent. “Better cushioning in footwear may help lessen the effects of running on hard surfaces,” but today’s carbon fibre composite rackets and rigid synthetic strings “do not absorb as much of the impact when a ball is struck”, which means the players absorb it instead. Another factor is that big names are retiring later: more than 40 of the top 100 today, including all the top five, are over 30 years old. With “more miles on the clock”, these players are simply more susceptible to niggles and strains. In the words of 36-year-old Roger Federer: “Wear and tear just takes its toll.”