Category Archives: Injury

Novak In Tears Over Sprained Ankle

You have to wonder how severe the injury is for world number one Novak Djokovic to end up in tears over a sprained ankle.

These boys are used to playing with pain every day. They’re used to running on blisters that the rest of us wouldn’t even dream of taking weight on and Novak has certainly improved his mental toughness over the last few years but he did loose it over the horrible ankle sprain he suffered during yesterdays Davis Cup match.

‘Injuries are part of the sport and you try to avoid them as an athlete as much as you can. The nature of the injury is still to be determined. 

One hour, one hour and a half after the end of the match, all I can say is it Read more »

Djokovic Injures Ankle During Davis Cup

Boy Djokovic is lucky he’s so bendy because the slow-mo replay of this ankle sprain is savage!!
It was bound to happen eventually given his dynamic movement on court and the way he slides on a hard court but it’s still hard to watch.
Somehow he’s still playing.

Tears For Nadal As He Destroys Ferrer In Acapulco Final

Rafael Nadal has destroyed world number 4 David Ferrer in his third final since he returned after a seven month injury time out. Nadal was in vintage form as he handled his good friend and compatriot 6-0, 6-2.

Whereas Rafa had struggled to make his opponents feel his power and find the mark with his shots over the last few weeks, there were no such issues for Rafa. For David, the two time defending champion, it was difficult to watch as the man who has stopped him so many times before seemed to finally find his footing on the red dirt. “I want to congratulate Rafa. He is not an easy player to beat. If I have to lose I am happy to lose to Rafa.” Read more »

Nadal Claims 51st Career Title In Brasil

After his semifinal performance yesterday there were few who thought Rafa Nadal, who said his knee pain had been worse, would beat David Nalbandian and claim the Brasil title. There were even fewer who thought he would beat Nalbandian comfortably.

Nadal cruised to victory in his second tournament back since a 7 month injury time out, winning 6-2, 6-3.

Nadal, who last won the Brasil tournament in 2005 was understandably delighted with the result. Read more »

A Long Way To Go For Rafael Nadal

Anyone who thinks two finals in two weeks means that Rafa Nadal is close to his normal form is delusional or not watching carefully.

Nadal, ignoring the tennis, seems currently to be deprived of one of his greatest gifts – his ferocious focus and intensity. He simply seems like a flat version of himself.

Sure this one legged (to say he has two functioning legs is a stretch) version of the Spaniard is still winning and making finals but he’s got nothing on the King of Clay he used to be and it seems to be finding Rafa a long time to get in touch with that person. Read more »

Nadal’s Doctor Preaches Moderation

Rafael Nadal’s personal doctor, Dr Angel Ruiz Cotorro, has warned the Spaniard that he needs to slowly return to play and be more selective about when and on what surfaces he plays.

“What you have to do in this case is select tournaments properly, enter the circuit progressively.

On clay, movements are less aggressive because of the possibility to skid, which helps the tendon to suffer less. A quick surface is more aggressive than any Read more »

Zeballos Wins Maiden Title By Defeating Rafael Nadal

It took 2 hours and 46 minutes for Horacio Zeballos to claim his first ATP title beating the King of Clay Rafa Nadal 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. Zeballos put on a great show and refused to be intimidated by the record of Nadal, playing some incredibly points and being far more effective on serve than the Spaniard.

Zeballos became only the third man ever, behind Djokovic and Federer, to beat Nadal in a clay court final.

Zeballos was playing a huge tennis name and a clay court giant and yet the way Rafa was moving around the court made it feel like the great Spaniard was the underdog – the one legged underdog. Read more »

Watching Rafa’s Return

When Rafael Nadal arrived in Chile to play his first match in seven months he was training without tape on his knees – tape that has been largely absent for the last few years.

His training session on Sunday was a different story. Not only was Rafa wearing his old faithful tape for patella tendinitis but he appeared to have a small patch underneath the tendon – something that he has rarely been seen with. Read more »

Nadal Cautious On Return

After a 7 month break Rafael Nadal has admitted that he’s not only cautious about returning to play but that his knees are still bothering him. Previously he had stated that he wasn’t coming back until they were 100% because he didn’t want to take more time off… I guess he can’t hang out at home anymore because what he’s saying now sounds different.

“My knee is much better, and this is the most important thing now because there’s no risk of a big injury. But it’s still bothering me, which will keep me from playing all the time, which I would like to do. Read more »

Djokovic Beats Murray For Third Consecutive Australian Open

There had been a look in Novak Djokovic’s eyes since he battle Stan Wawrinka at the Australian Open, a look that since 2011 has been a sign of his determination and an indicator of the likely outcome of the tournament. Djokovic looked, despite the enormous amount of time he spent on court, like he was hungry for a third consecutive Australian Open title.

Andy Murray, his opponent in the final, looked unusually calm – a peace, and sense of direction that seemed to descend on the Scot after winning the Olympic gold medal and the US Open last year. For the first set of their final it looked like Murray was the one keeping a calm head and as though the weary Djokovic would be frustrated by his shoes slipping and his inability to convert break points. Read more »