ATP: Nadal and Co.: The permanently injured stars

There are some stars on the ATP tour who have had to deal with many injuries since the beginning of their career. For example, Rafael Nadal or Juan Martín del Potro are among the permanent guests of the ATP hospital. However, there are other examples for players with enormous injury.

The current world number one Rafael Nadal is probably the most persistent injured. The Spaniard just announced at the current ATP finals in London that he could not participate in the tournament after his first round defeat against David Goffin due to knee problems. Not the 31-year-old’s first injury. Nadal had to fight with his body already in his youth. At the beginning of his career in 2003, the ten-time French Open winner was afflicted with a persistent elbow injury. One year later it should get worse: A fatigue fracture in the right foot paralyzed the clay court specialist for the first time. From 2005 onwards, Nadal’s career was expected to show a recurring pattern.

The major weak point in the Mallorcan’s body seems to be his knees. Until 2009, Nadal was not seen without tape on the patellar tendons on the court, culminating in bilateral tendonitis. In addition, there was water retention in the joints and an abdominal muscle injury. Nadal admitted eight years later,”I’ve never played without pain.”

In 2010, the next knee problems followed, a year later, the “bull from Mannacor” was caught with a rupture of the thigh muscle fibre and long-lasting adductor problems. In the calendar year 2012, the 16-time Grand Slam champion suffered from protracted tendinitis in the knee and Hoffa-Kastert’s syndrome, also known as knee damage, in which the tissue in the knee changes as a result of permanent inflammation. In 2014, the Spaniard’s injuries were to culminate in an appendix surgery in addition to wrist pain and back problems. In the following season, her knee twisted again, and in 2016 Nadal canceled the French Open due to a wrist injury. At the press conference, Nadal said:”The complaints are getting worse and worse. In the summer of 2016, Nadal announced the end of the season and celebrated a highly acclaimed comeback in 2017 and his return to the top of the world rankings. Even before the tournament in London, it was clear that “Rafa” will not be in full force and has to be waited for “I tried, but it doesn’t work. The pain is too much and I couldn’t enjoy being out on the court. I know what to do now. I’ve earned this break now,”Nadal explained at the press conference.

Despite all the injuries and months of breaks, the Spaniard is one of the most successful tennis players of all time. Imagine what his trophy cabinet would look like with a healthy body over the years…

One of Nadal’s fellow sufferers is the Argentine Juan Martín del Potro. The gentle giant has been struggling with wrist injuries for a long time. The problems started in 2010, after “DelPo” won the US Open 2009 against Roger Federer, the biggest coup of his career. The first operation on his left wrist was performed by del Potro in May 2010 and made his comeback in September. After two years without any problems, knee complaints crept in on the now 29-year-old. One year later, his wrist was to throw him completely out of the tennis circuit for the time being. In 2014, the 2012 Olympic rider underwent the second operation; in 2015, two more interventions were carried out in May and September. Not until the Olympic Games in 2016 did del Potro celebrate a highly acclaimed comeback and since then he has been working his way up the ranking. With the title defence in Stockholm and a strong second half of the season, the “Tower of Tandil” moved up to eleventh place in the world rankings. However, the Argentinean’s game has changed since the surgeries. The Grand Slam champion is busy with the slice on the backhand to relieve his weakness. In the coming year, del Potro has only a few points to defend at the beginning of the year and can continue to gain ground in the ranking. A new top 10 ranking seems to be possible again.

Kei Nishikori also paid tribute to his profession. Since 2008, the lively Japanese has repeatedly been injured and had to end his season early in September this year. With various abdominal injuries such as inflammation of the ribs, abdominal muscle strains and other discomfort, the US Open Finalist from 2014 missed several months and important tournaments on the tour. Wrist problems, hip injuries and back pain forced the 27-year-old to do some work in 2015 and 2017. Meanwhile Nishikori dropped out of the top 20 and has to work his way up again in the coming season.

Serbian Janko Tipsarevic was almost forgotten. In 2012, the 33-year-old was ranked eighth in the world rankings and, alongside Novak Djokovic, was regarded as the new Serbian star. In 2014, however,”Tipsa” suffered a severe setback: a benign soft tissue tumour on the left foot had to be removed and was taken out of action for several months. Complications during rehabilitation forced Tipsarevic to repeat surgery. Until the summer of 2016, the Serbian fought with the consequences of the disease and had to cancel some tournaments due to fatigue and various other complaints such as a thigh injury. The former finalist with the distinctive sports glasses tried to work his way back up through Challenger participations. The next low point in Tipsarevic’s career came after the tournament in Hamburg am Rothenbaum this year. The Serbian had to undergo surgery on both thighs and interrupt his return to the tour again.

It is hard to believe that Marcos Baghdatis, a Cypriot, is only 32 years old – especially in this case of medical records. The rising star around 2006 was faced with a rosy sporting career before being shaken by innumerable injuries. A fatigue fracture in the wrist in 2008 heralded the time of suffering of the extroverted Limassol man. After his comeback in 2009, Baghdatis celebrated some more successes on the tour. From 2013 onwards, however, Baghdatis was to drag himself from one injury to another: recurring back problems, ankle injuries and, most recently, an injury to the batting arm drove the former top star back to 101st place in the world rankings.

The men’s world ranking list