Sports Injuries

What do Tiger Woods, Fillepe Massa, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Padraig Harrington, Sachin Tendulkar have in common? These sporting legends have all been struck by sports injuries at some point in their careers. Sports injuries are a part and parcel of an athlete’s career. A sportsperson is a mortal after all and hence is not immune to the wear and tear of the human body. Infact, most successful athletes have contingency plans in place. They expect injuries to bog them down during their competitive life spans and keep in place certain strategies. The key to a long and successful athletic career is to approach these forced “timeouts” constructively. Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, lost his first match at Roland Garros to Robin Soderling at the 2009 French Open. His knees had been hurting for most of the first half of 2009 and he decided to tend to them immediately after that historic fourth round loss. His withdrawal from Wimbledon 2009 three weeks later sent shock waves down the tennis world. The greatness of Rafael Nadal was evident in that decision. He was able to assess the situation well. Not letting emotions get the better of him, Nadal went back to Mallorca and rested his knees. The thought of not being able to defend his Wimbledon title never occurred. His first priority was to get better. To get stronger. In an interview he said that he would not play Wimbledon if he was not 100%. Clearly in the exhibition match in England he was not. And he pulled out. The weeks off can be hard. A player at that point has two options. He/she can either worry about the injury or, work towards overcoming that injury. Successful athletes consider this time to be extremely precious. They make the most if it to ensure that their body heals and recuperates. This time is also used to re-set their targets and goals. Winning is no longer the goal. Getting back in shape is. Immediately the focus shifts back to the basics. Being healthy and remaining fit. However, sportspersons who overlook the signs sent by their body, or refuse to tend to them, often fall to prey to “burnout”. They are then unable to push themselves anymore. And usually get injured further seriously. Roger Federer has achieved the remarkable feat of appearing in 21 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals. At 27 years of age, he is the fittest athlete ever to have played sports. Apart from putting in the long hours at the gym, on the track, the tennis court, he has also taken rest when needed. He knows when to push and when to back0ff. That has been the key to the 15 Grand Slam victories and counting. The key to a long and successful sporting career is to hence, know your body. It is your best friend and worst enemy. Get to know it well. Listen to it. Work hard on it. Expect it to not be a 100% all the time. And use the off season to train harder and set new goals.