Injuries Update: Which Tennis Men Are Fighting for Hard Court Fitness?

Tennis has a long, intensive season that affords its players very little “down time.”

Apart from the Christmas break after the Master’s Cup in late November, the current hiatus is the longest natural break on the men’s tour. And that is only appropriate following the double-grand-slam month of midsummer in Paris and London.

Even now, however, many are pouring blood, sweat, and tears into the final clay swing of the year as it reaches its climax at the German Open.

There were 250 ranking points on offer in both Germany and Sweden last week, with a valuable 500 more to the winner at Hamburg this week.

Then there was the little matter of a Davis Cup tie to fit in along the way, and the punishing five-set format and doubles demands that went with it.

So it’s not surprising to lose one or two players by the wayside at various points during the season.

It’s even less unusual to see them drop out towards the end of the arduous hard-court swing of North America, or during the early stages of the end-of-season indoor events in October and November.

But some of the top tennis tournaments of the summer have been missing a clutch of the most interesting men in the sport. Some of these are due to return to the fray this week, others look set to come back in time for the US Open run beginning in Montreal.

Top of that list, of course, is the world No. 2.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal has been out the frame since his loss at the French Open. Although he tested his knees at a grass exhibition event in London prior to Wimbledon, he was already suffering from chronic tendinitis, and has been undergoing treatment in Spain ever since.

He has now announced on his website that medical tests in Barcelona, including MRI scans and radiography, have indicated he may begin training again from this week.

His doctor, Angel Ruiz Cotorro, was quoted as saying: "The evolution of his injury is positive and the player will continue with his physiotherapy and muscular work and resume his tennis activity in a progressive way starting Monday, July 20.

Nadal will train at his home in Mallorca before his planned return to action on Aug. 10, in Montreal, where he is defending champion.

The transition from clay to his least favourite surface will be far from easy with so little match-play, and there is a long line of players who rate their chances more during this season than any other.

Even if Roger Federer withdraws on paternity leave, Nadal will have his work cut out, so his medical team will need to be very sure of his fitness.

David Nalbandian

Nalbandian is not due back on the tour as soon as Nadal, but he’s second on this list for no better reason than that he has the same doctor.

Nalbandian has been out tennis since May due to a torn labrum in the hip, a cartilage that cushions the movement of the femur.

It’s the same injury that both Gustavo Kuerten and Lleyton Hewitt suffered, and Nalbandian will take much solace from the comeback made by the latter since he underwent surgery.

Nalbandian’s operation at a private clinic in Barcelona was supervised by Ruiz Cotorro, and he was allowed to return to Argentina after two weeks of rehabilitation.

The doctor has since been to visit Nalbandian in Buenos Aires to assess his progress and was, by all accounts, impressed at the player’s progress. He has passed the first post-operative phases, and is now doing gym work and mobility exercises.

Nalbandian reports on his website that he will need about four months to recover from the operation before he can return to training on court, and that it will not be possible for him to play the circuit again before the end of the year.

Judging from his quotes, though, he remains upbeat about that return: “I still have plenty of time to play, and I keep my aim of retiring with a Grand Slam or a Davis Cup.”

Nalbandian’s creative and intelligent tennis is a great asset to the sport, but he has been criticised with increasing frequency for his inability to take the flair from early rounds through to the end of major tournaments.

He says that pain has been a factor in his game for a year and a half. Perhaps surgery will not only relieve him of that pain but give him renewed belief and enthusiasm to enable him to grace this sport for a few years more.

David Ferrer

Ferrer has seen his ranking drop inexorably since the beginning of the year, and is now at his lowest point—23—in more than four years. Many of those lost places have come as a result of disappointing results on his favoured clay in Rome, Madrid and Paris.

So it must be doubly frustrating to be sidelined by a thigh injury suffered during a minor Spanish exhibition event, the Copa del Rey, in the first week of July.

An avid supporter of his Davis Cup team, it meant he had to withdraw from the Spanish squad. His report to fans said that doctors had recommended at least 10 days’ rest.

He therefore pulled out of the Swedish clay event in Bastad last week and so goes into the Hamburg tournament with no match-play on clay. Just a week ago, he appeared to be doing only light practice, prior to another MRI scan.

Ferrer will face a very tough line-up if he does make it to Hamburg. He is a player who depends as much on speed and fitness for his success as on shot-making power, so will need to be 100 percent to hold his own.

With the likes of Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Philipp Kohlschreiber in the draw, it’s difficult to see him making any headway in the rankings after next week.

Gael Monfils

Monfils is also in the start-list for this week’s German Open, and will probably feel more at home on the European clay than he did in his warm-up on the grass of London.

It was a fall at the Queen’s Club event that injured his wrist and took him out—quite late in the day—from Wimbledon, where he was the 14th seed.

Monfils also missed last year’s Wimbledon with a shoulder injury.

Finding any information about him, his injury or his plans is nigh on impossible. In the absence of the usual news releases from high-profile players, the normal recourse is to players’ websites.

In Monfils' case, this is currently as rewarding as the man himself: it is out of action. Indeed the last reference on the home page relates to that very withdrawal at Queen’s.

So just how serious Monfils’ injury is remains unclear. As he appears to be taking on the strong field in Hamburg, he must think it is fine.

But if he wants to beat that field, he will have to find some of the enthusiasm and application that has gone missing during the early summer. He has talent in spades. He must learn to deploy it while he can—injury permitting.

Andy Roddick

When Roddick slipped during his marathon match against Federer in the Wimbledon final, he looked uncomfortable but refused to cite any injury problems. So when he withdrew from the Davis Cup, it was reasonable to suppose he was still physically drained from that match.

The latest announcement that he has withdrawn from Indianapolis is a little more worrying. As one of Roddick’s favoured events, and a good preparation for the hard-court run towards the US Open, he would normally expect to take part.

Clearly, the organisers are disappointed, since they are left with a thin draw for what might otherwise be seen as a launch-pad for the Masters events just over the horizon in August.

Roddick is not scheduled to play at the other preparatory hard-court event in Los Angeles, so might come into Montreal a little undercooked.

His renewed fitness and eagerness could see him challenge for the US Open title if he is injury-free. So he may be happy just to use Canada and then Cincinnati to get himself back into shape for his tilt at one more Grand Slam.

Other injury question marks

Marcos Baghdatis had to pull out of Wimbledon after he suffered a worrying knee injury during a grass warm-up event in the Netherlands. So painful was the injury that he was stretchered off—a real rarity in this sport.

He recovered enough to join the Cypriot Davis Cup clash against Ireland, and was fit enough to play and win three of the rubbers.

He nevertheless claimed that, despite the knee problem not being serious, he had pain in his foot. It will be worth checking out his movement when he joins the relatively weak field in Indianapolis this week.

Gilles Simon has been struggling to justify his No. 7 ranking for most of the year, going out earlier than he should do to considerably lower players. At Queen’s in June, he was wearing heavy strapping to one knee.

There has been no formal indication of injury problems, but there has to be a small question mark over Simon’s head based on those recent results. Some impediment to his usually superb speed might be the small answer.

Radek Stepanek did not join the Czech Republic’s attack on Argentina until the later rubbers of the Davis Cup tie due to a knee injury.

This followed problems in his Wimbledon fourth-round match against Lleyton Hewitt, where he took on progressively heavier strapping as the long match progressed.

At 30 years old, and a constant presence around the top 20, he’s still a force to be reckoned with, bringing all-court shot-making to every opponent.

Perhaps his years on the circuit, combined with the huge energy he brings to his tennis, are starting to take their toll. Keep an eye on that knee.

Last, but certainly not least, Fernando Verdasco was forced to retire from his quarter-final match against Juan Monaco at last week’s Bastad tournament when he pulled a calf muscle.

Since the injury was to his right leg, it could have implications for his big left-handed serving action. Whether his opponents this week will have the chance to assess just how much of an impact is uncertain. Though there is no formal announcement thus far, an unsubstantiated message on his website says he has withdrawn from the Hamburg event.

Judging from Verdasco's success in Australia at the beginning of the year, he must be one of the major challengers for titles during the hard-court season. So it would make sound sense to ensure he is perfectly fit before that season fully kicks in.

For a recap of the much-liked but illness-dogged Mario Ancic, see Rohini's new article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/220787-mario-ancic-somethings-in-life-do-deserve-a-second-chance