Throughout my life I have been playing sports, whether it was basketball, softball or tennis. However, what sets tennis apart from all the rest; no it is not the skirts, but the fact that whenever I have taken a long break from playing I always play awful when I return. Not only does it look like I have never played the sport before but I always feel off when hitting. Nothing feels comfortable, my body feels more awkward than usual and it can get quite frustrating.
A couple years ago I had a herniated disc in my back and was unable to play for three months. You would think that those three months that I couldn't play were the most agonizing months of my life, but you are mistaken. What was more agonizing then not playing for that length of time was returning from not playing. I couldn't hit a ball to save my life and for a while there I was so frustrated and angry with the sport that I considered quitting.
Despite these emotions I barreled through and continued playing and strangely that season I played some of the best tennis of my life. I think what ended up happening to me was that after not playing for such a long time I had to re-familiarize my muscles with the movements. Therefore my coach was able to readjust some of my poor form to make it better and less strenuous on my back. The result a much better tennis game.
What really interests me is the reason why coming back from an injury in tennis is such a hard thing to recover from. It is definitely not like riding a bike, you do not always remember how. In tennis you have to re-learn a lot of the basics, which for many like myself is frustrating and career ending. So how do the pros do it? Sharapova came back from an elbow injury, Nadal from a knee injury and Clijsters from having a child.
The question that I pose is, are they now better than ever, or are they just going to fizzle out and disappear like Martina Hingis, Lindsey Davenport and Jennifer Capriati?
like the way that you bring in your own efforts and struggles in coming back from injuries to pose this interesting question..it will be curious to see how all of these stars do in playing their way back from injuries..thank you for raising this topic...
ReplyDeleteI too have a personal story when it comes to returning to sports after injury, and although you make a good point in mentioning the multitude of professional athletes who have been able to come back and play even better tennis, i think there is a huge difference between there rehabilitation success and mine/yours; pros have specialized trainers, access to top equipment, and all the time on their hands to practice and prepare, things i do not have. Although overall, i am very interested to see how these athletes do in the australian open.
ReplyDeletevery good points...and what's interesting is that even though these players do come back sometimes it is only momentarily...Sharapova lost last night at the AO and Nadal hasn't really been the Nadal we are used to
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