Novak Djokovic has had to retire from the Davis Cup semi-final singles match against Juan Martin Del Potro due to a
back injury. The US Open Champion retired whilst trailing 6-7, 0-3, giving Argentina a 3-1 win in the tournament.
Djokovic missed the opening singles matches, complaining with
back pain but went on to play in yesterday’s (18/09/11) reverse singles. Even though he stretched his back throughout Sunday’s match, Djokovic fell to the ground in pain during the third game in the second set and was unable to continue.
After being helped back to his bench by his team mates, Djokovic received a standing ovation from the crowd.
After the match, Djokovic explained that they were aware of a problem with his back during the US Open, where he battled against the pain, however they believed that he was the best of the team to face Del Potro and so had to play.
Over the coming days, Djokovic’s medical team will assess the extent of the injury and begin the rehabilitation process.
Argentina will now face Spain for the final of the Davis Cup after Rafael Nadal sealed a 4-1 victory over France after demolishing Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 6-0, 6-2, 6-4.
Back pain and tennis
Back injuries in tennis are common, mainly due to the stresses and strains placed on the back muscles. When serving, we hyper-extend the lower back, which can compress the lumbar discs. The back muscles have to support continual, sudden forward and lateral movements and vigorous start and stop motions. Also, some tennis shots require a large amount of trunk rotation and twisting in the spine. The muscles surrounding the spine need to be healthy enough to allow the twisting and stop-start motions throughout a game of tennis.
There are methods of preventing back injuries in tennis. Firstly, you should ensure your back is in shape before the game. If the muscles haven’t been prepared for the activity and you overexert them, such as when serving, they will be less able to support the spinal joints. This can lead to sprains, strains and potentially a lot of back pain. Secondly you should always start the ground strokes and move around court slowly. This enables your system to ‘wake up’ as you gradually build up speed to game pace.
Thirdly, you could try using a dynamic back support when not playing tennis, to help keep the back muscles healthy. The
Dynaspine Back Support is one such support. The two back support plates on Dynaspine are built with a special spring mechanism, so as you change seating positions, the back is encouraged to keep moving, building the strength of the back muscles and providing continual support.
Another tip when playing tennis is to use correct form when playing by bending the knees and contracting the abdominal muscles. If you’re new to the game, you should first speak to a professional tennis instructor who can teach you the proper form and provide suggestions for how to prevent back injuries and
back pain.
Finally, you should learn how different racquet tensions suit different types of players. For example, a racquet with more flexibility will require more trunk rotation than a stiffer racquet with looser strings. Speak to a professional to find the best type of tennis racquet for your body.