Following the announcement that Britain’s Laura Robson has retired from tennis on the age of 28 after three hip operations (Report, 16 Could), I really feel {that a} evaluate of the game and its impression on the long-term well being of contributors is overdue. Laura joins a protracted record of gamers who’ve had surgical procedure at what’s a comparatively younger age (Andy Murray, hip; Roger Federer, knee; Serena Williams, knee; Rafael Nadal, ankle). Procedures resembling hip replacements solely final about 15 years, so former gamers will most likely face additional surgical procedure, to not point out the probability of struggling with arthritis in previous age.
Tennis entails numerous pivoting and twisting, which is tough on the hips; there could also be extra hip and decrease leg accidents because of the elevated time spent rallying within the fashionable recreation, which appears to have moved away from the serve-and-volley recreation of earlier eras. In consequence, matches final significantly longer in what’s already a lengthier taking part in season. Taking part in surfaces are additionally significantly more durable, which provides to the impression on joints.
Absolutely the time has come for adjustments to the sport. Let’s get again to the serve-and-volley recreation: it’s rather more thrilling to look at. Reduce the lads’s matches all the way down to better of three units in all tournaments; it’s boring watching five-setters – the decisive motion usually solely comes within the ultimate units. Evaluate the difficulty of courtroom surfacing and provide you with one thing that’s extra forgiving on the physique. Let’s act now and defend the way forward for our younger gamers.
Wendy Owen
Neston, Cheshire
