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Emily Waters

Mrs. Lester

Advanced Composition

11 October 2011

What Problems Do Tennis Players Face?

According to the CNN news, after Rafael Nadal’s match in the 2011 US Open Series, he

broke down in the conference room with major cramps in his legs. After just minutes of

agonizing pain, he lifted his head and said it was from playing in hot, humid weather for hours.

Many tennis players have such recurring injuries throughout their careers. Some of these injuries

go away and others will stay with the players for their whole lives. “Common causes of sports

injuries include: athletic equipment that malfunctions or is used incorrectly, falls, forceful high-

speed collisions between players, and wear and tear on areas of the body that are continually

subjected to stress” (Haggerty). Tennis is a sport of agility, endurance and repetition of strokes.

With this sport, athletes work hard on their sprints forward and backwards and also shuffling side

to side. After years of this stress on the body, this career can wear down muscles and tendons all

through the player’s legs. With being physically fit by running daily, eating the right types of

food and working out, the body will get accustomed to this schedule and the players will be able

to stay in the point longer on the court. Players suffer wear and tear on muscles in their upper

body from constantly hitting the same stroke over and over again. Therefore, in order to

understand the pervasiveness of injuries tennis players experience, the players have to know the

direct injury, the impact it will have on their joints and muscles, the preventions, and the outlook

for preventing and treating injuries in the future.

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One way to understand the effects of injuries on tennis players is to know definitely what

the direct injury is. One injury that most tennis players suffer with is injury to the wrist: “Loads

placed upon the wrist can result in the development of tendonitis in the muscle tendon units that

cross the joint and provide both stability and movement of the forearm wrist and hand”

(Ellenbecker). The wrist injury is a very common injury. This problem means the players are

using too much wrist in their shots. They are not hitting from their bodies. The power source is

only from the wrist and hand. When a player has wear and tear on her wrist or even the forearm,

one of the two is going to start hurting as well. Another major injury that can occur while playing

is a muscle cramp. The player will definitely know when she gets a cramp: “Insufficient

stretching before exercise, exercising in the heat, and muscle fatigue may all play a role in their

causation. Imbalances in the levels of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and

phosphate) in the blood can also lead to muscle cramps”(Stoppler). Players see cramps come into

the picture at the beginning of a season. The body is not warmed up enough to be hitting the

same strokes constantly. Once the body is in shape again, players will not see cramps very often.

Tennis players may get cramps from not eating the right foods. They are letting their bodies

down by not giving them the right amount of nutrition they need to sustain hitting for a long

period of time. Nutrition is a big part of a tennis player’s career. Without a healthy diet, the

players will not be able to perform at their best standards. Furthermore, if the players eat

unhealthy foods, then the lack of good nutrition will definitely show up in their match: “sugar

eaten before an event may hinder performance because it triggers a surge of insulin. The insulin

causes a sharp drop in blood sugar level in about 30 minutes. Competing when the blood sugar

level is low leads to fatigue, nausea and dehydration” (Topham). Before a match, a player needs

to get as much starch in her system as she possibly can. The more pasta, bread, cereal, and fruit

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and vegetables in the body, the more energy the player will have on the court the next day or in

the next few hours. Players who do not know what the difference is between healthy and

unhealthy foods. They are more likely to harm themselves with not getting the right amount of

protein, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals. To be sure that these problems get resolved,

the players also need to look at the impact of eating healthy and the affects that it will have on

their bodies.

Next, the impact these injuries have on a player’s body is very serious. Most of the

injuries are very harmful, but the players may not realize that these injuries can stay with them

for the rest of their lives. The impact of the wrist injury is to risk harming other tendons in the

player’s body. The wrist muscles are connected to the elbow and the shoulder. This fact means

when the player injures the wrist, it is felt all through the arm because “The reasonably delicate

tendons crossing the wrist cannot be asked to generate the forces required for powerful strokes in

tennis without injury occurring” (Ellenbecker). From repeating the same movement over and

over again, players tend to get injuries to the wrist and also get tennis elbow. Tennis elbow

occurs when the player is gripping the racket too firmly. The right way to grip the racket is very

loose and relaxed. Many players who are not relaxed when playing are more likely to get tennis

elbow than a player who is very loose with the grip hold. When tennis players injure the forearm,

the whole arm feels it. The muscles are not strong enough to have so much pressure on the arm.

The impact of having to act like a robot with the strokes is that it gives players cramps all

through the body because they are using that muscle routinely. Most cramps have a distinct

feeling when they occur: “Often a muscle that is cramping feels harder than normal to the touch

or may even show visible signs of twitching. Most cramps resolve spontaneously within a few

seconds to minutes” (Stoppler). Muscle cramps, or “Charlie Horses”, are very painful. Charlie

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Horses come from when the muscle cannot relax. These cramps normally last a few seconds and

may harm the player’s game. If the players get one during a match, that means they need to get

medical attention or try to walk it off. After just one cramp on the court, the player may be down

and worried about the cramp, so they will not put enough effort into the game. This impact of the

cramp has a huge toll on the player to perform at her best. To not come into contact with muscle

cramps, the body needs the right foods and if it does not receive the right foods the body is more

prone to get hurt: “According to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, endurance

athletes on a high-carbohydrate diet can exercise longer than athletes eating a low-carbohydrate,

high-fat diet” (Topham). If the foods the players are taking in are empty calories, then the vital

organs lose much of the minerals and vitamins they need. Protein is a very good source of energy

for tennis players, but too much of this source will cause dehydration in the body. High intakes

of protein raise the level of the amount of water it takes players to eliminate the nitrogen from

their bodies by going to the bathroom. Obviously, there are different ways that injuries and not

eating correctly can affect a tennis player, but there are many solutions and preventions to these

problems.

Not only is impact of tennis injuries important to know, but the prevention measures are

important to realize also. One prevention for a wrist injury is working out properly and having

the right grip on your racket: “Several important factors can be applied to prevent wrist injuries.

The first and most important is the use of proper technique. Players using extreme grips place

their wrist and forearm in positions that place additional stress on the muscles, tendons, and

ligaments and can predispose them to injury” (Ellenbecker). There are many grips a player can

have. Many players use semi western while others use western. Using a western grip will put

more wear and tear on the wrist because the hand, forearm, and wrist are doing more work to hit

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the same ball a player would be hitting with a semi western grip. The technique of a stroke is the

most important part of tennis; therefore, this part needs the most attention. Building up the

muscles in the arm is very vital in the game. Without muscle in the arm, the game would not be

as fast paced as it is now. There are many ways to prevent muscle cramps from occurring

multiple times on and off the court. One prevention once the player gets the cramp is to stop the

work out immediately: “If you get a muscle cramp while exercising, one strategy is to stop your

activity and hold the cramped muscle in a gently stretched position until the cramp resolves. If a

cramp occurs when you are lying down, you may want to do just the opposite -- put weight and

walk on the cramping leg. Light massage may (or may not) help alleviate the pain” (Stoppler).

Muscle cramps come from a lack of potassium in a player’s diet. When the player is not getting

enough of it, the body reacts by cramping. Also, cramps come from players doing rigorous work-

outs and not getting enough stretching afterward. Secondly, teaching about nutrition is a solution

for eating healthy. Many people want to know the different food groups out there and how to

incorporate that into their everyday lives. “Obama has made eliminating child obesity a priority

and the circle puts a greater emphasis on fruits and vegetables” (Brand and Margolis). The

federal government has changed the food pyramid to a food circle now. It is divided into the

same groups but on a plate. The circle also has a smaller plate for the dairy products people need

to eat every day. Also, since the player needs to eat better, the cost of the food is going to go up.

Every healthy food in the grocery store or at a convenience store is more expensive than getting

the unhealthy processed food located everywhere around the store. More people are not going to

want to eat healthy since the cost is much higher. In the end, there are many solutions to fix

injuries and get back on track with eating healthy so the future of resolving these problems will

get better through time.

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Finally, knowing the outlook for preventing the injuries tennis players could possibly get

will help them understand what they face in the future. If tennis players know the problems, the

impacts and the preventions, they will know the likelihood of preventing them in the future of

each injury: “Players using extreme grips place their wrist and forearm in positions that place

additional stress on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments and can predispose them to injury”

(Ellenbecker). The outlook for relieving wrist problems lie in to a new stretching technique that

will help the situation. Hopefully there is an expert of groups designing a new grip that will

cause less strain to the wrist muscles and forearm. With muscle cramps, the outlook for

preventing this injury is quite good if there is enough stretching and exercising going on:

“Insufficient stretching before exercise, exercising in the heat, and muscle fatigue may all play a

role in their causation” (Fallon). With stretching, these cramps go away very quickly so the

outlooks for eliminating these cramps are pretty good. They only last for a few seconds and they

do not leave any evidence behind except for pain. The outlook for treatment is to just wrap the

cramp if it stays with the player for a while and eventually it will disperse. There are some good

and bad aspects of eating healthy and keeping it going for a long time: “Becoming an elite

athlete requires good genes, good training and conditioning and a sensible diet” (Topham). The

cost of food today is sky rocketing and some players may say they do not want to pay so much

money to eat healthy. This issue may lead to many falling off track in the future. If the player

chooses to eat healthy, then the outcome will be very beneficial to her and her game. Overall, the

outlook for preventing injuries is about the same as it is right now: if the player does not want to

do the work to prevent the injury, then it will cause more damage to her body than before.

As can be clearly concluded, there are many ways to hurt muscles and tendons in the

body. This problem may scare players that are entering this field. However, there are many ways

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to prevent these injuries from happening. For example, if a tennis player injures her wrist, there

are many exercises to gain strength back and to keep it healthy throughout her tennis career. In

that case, the players have many options to take when they get injured.

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Works Cited

Brand, Madeleine, and Jacob Margolis. “Food Pyramid Becomes a Food Circle in Makeover.”

Food Pyramid. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://www.scpr.org//////food-pyramid-

gets-makeover/>.

Ellenbecker, Todd S. “Wrist Management: Prevention of Wrist Injuries in Tennis Players.”

United States Tennis Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

<http://www.usta.com///_Fitness/

59135_Wrist_Management_Prevention_of_Wrist_Injuries_in_Tennis_Players/>.

Fallon, L. Fleming. “Exercise.” Gale Virtual Reference Library. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe and

Deirdre S. Blanchfield. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

<http://go.galegroup.com//.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true

&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cant48040&tabID=T003&searchId=R2&resultListT

ype=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPositio

n=5&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3405600582&&docId=GALE|CX3405600582&docTyp

e=GALE&role=>.

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Haggerty, Maureen. "Sports Injuries." Gale Virtual Reference Library. Ed.

Jacqueline L. Longe and Deirdre S. Blanchfield. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept.

2011.<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/ retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEV

ANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cant48040&tabID=T003&searchI

d=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchFor

m¤tPosition=2&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3405601480&&docId=GALE|CX340560148

0&docType=GALE&role=>.

Stoppler, Melissa. “Muscle Cramp: A Real Pain.” Medicine Net. Ed. William C. Shiel, Jr. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://www.medicinenet.com///.asp?articlekey=47633>.

Topham, K. “Nutrition for the Athlete.” Colorado State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept.

2011. <http://www.ext.colostate.edu///.html>.

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