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Emily Waters
Mrs. Lester
Advanced Composition
11 October 2011
What Problems Do Tennis Players Face?
According to the CNN news, after Rafael Nadal’s match in the 2011 US Open Series, he
broke down in the conference room with major cramps in his legs. After just minutes of
agonizing pain, he lifted his head and said it was from playing in hot, humid weather for hours.
Many tennis players have such recurring injuries throughout their careers. Some of these injuries
go away and others will stay with the players for their whole lives. “Common causes of sports
injuries include: athletic equipment that malfunctions or is used incorrectly, falls, forceful high-
speed collisions between players, and wear and tear on areas of the body that are continually
subjected to stress” (Haggerty). Tennis is a sport of agility, endurance and repetition of strokes.
With this sport, athletes work hard on their sprints forward and backwards and also shuffling side
to side. After years of this stress on the body, this career can wear down muscles and tendons all
through the player’s legs. With being physically fit by running daily, eating the right types of
food and working out, the body will get accustomed to this schedule and the players will be able
to stay in the point longer on the court. Players suffer wear and tear on muscles in their upper
body from constantly hitting the same stroke over and over again. Therefore, in order to
understand the pervasiveness of injuries tennis players experience, the players have to know the
direct injury, the impact it will have on their joints and muscles, the preventions, and the outlook
for preventing and treating injuries in the future.

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One way to understand the effects of injuries on tennis players is to know definitely what
the direct injury is. One injury that most tennis players suffer with is injury to the wrist: “Loads
placed upon the wrist can result in the development of tendonitis in the muscle tendon units that
cross the joint and provide both stability and movement of the forearm wrist and hand”
(Ellenbecker). The wrist injury is a very common injury. This problem means the players are
using too much wrist in their shots. They are not hitting from their bodies. The power source is
only from the wrist and hand. When a player has wear and tear on her wrist or even the forearm,
one of the two is going to start hurting as well. Another major injury that can occur while playing
is a muscle cramp. The player will definitely know when she gets a cramp: “Insufficient
stretching before exercise, exercising in the heat, and muscle fatigue may all play a role in their
causation. Imbalances in the levels of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and
phosphate) in the blood can also lead to muscle cramps”(Stoppler). Players see cramps come into
the picture at the beginning of a season. The body is not warmed up enough to be hitting the
same strokes constantly. Once the body is in shape again, players will not see cramps very often.
Tennis players may get cramps from not eating the right foods. They are letting their bodies
down by not giving them the right amount of nutrition they need to sustain hitting for a long
period of time. Nutrition is a big part of a tennis player’s career. Without a healthy diet, the
players will not be able to perform at their best standards. Furthermore, if the players eat
unhealthy foods, then the lack of good nutrition will definitely show up in their match: “sugar
eaten before an event may hinder performance because it triggers a surge of insulin. The insulin
causes a sharp drop in blood sugar level in about 30 minutes. Competing when the blood sugar
level is low leads to fatigue, nausea and dehydration” (Topham). Before a match, a player needs
to get as much starch in her system as she possibly can. The more pasta, bread, cereal, and fruit

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and vegetables in the body, the more energy the player will have on the court the next day or in
the next few hours. Players who do not know what the difference is between healthy and
unhealthy foods. They are more likely to harm themselves with not getting the right amount of
protein, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals. To be sure that these problems get resolved,
the players also need to look at the impact of eating healthy and the affects that it will have on
their bodies.
Next, the impact these injuries have on a player’s body is very serious. Most of the
injuries are very harmful, but the players may not realize that these injuries can stay with them
for the rest of their lives. The impact of the wrist injury is to risk harming other tendons in the
player’s body. The wrist muscles are connected to the elbow and the shoulder. This fact means
when the player injures the wrist, it is felt all through the arm because “The reasonably delicate
tendons crossing the wrist cannot be asked to generate the forces required for powerful strokes in
tennis without injury occurring” (Ellenbecker). From repeating the same movement over and
over again, players tend to get injuries to the wrist and also get tennis elbow. Tennis elbow
occurs when the player is gripping the racket too firmly. The right way to grip the racket is very
loose and relaxed. Many players who are not relaxed when playing are more likely to get tennis
elbow than a player who is very loose with the grip hold. When tennis players injure the forearm,
the whole arm feels it. The muscles are not strong enough to have so much pressure on the arm.
The impact of having to act like a robot with the strokes is that it gives players cramps all
through the body because they are using that muscle routinely. Most cramps have a distinct
feeling when they occur: “Often a muscle that is cramping feels harder than normal to the touch
or may even show visible signs of twitching. Most cramps resolve spontaneously within a few
seconds to minutes” (Stoppler). Muscle cramps, or “Charlie Horses”, are very painful. Charlie

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Horses come from when the muscle cannot relax. These cramps normally last a few seconds and
may harm the player’s game. If the players get one during a match, that means they need to get
medical attention or try to walk it off. After just one cramp on the court, the player may be down
and worried about the cramp, so they will not put enough effort into the game. This impact of the
cramp has a huge toll on the player to perform at her best. To not come into contact with muscle
cramps, the body needs the right foods and if it does not receive the right foods the body is more
prone to get hurt: “According to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, endurance
athletes on a high-carbohydrate diet can exercise longer than athletes eating a low-carbohydrate,
high-fat diet” (Topham). If the foods the players are taking in are empty calories, then the vital
organs lose much of the minerals and vitamins they need. Protein is a very good source of energy
for tennis players, but too much of this source will cause dehydration in the body. High intakes
of protein raise the level of the amount of water it takes players to eliminate the nitrogen from
their bodies by going to the bathroom. Obviously, there are different ways that injuries and not
eating correctly can affect a tennis player, but there are many solutions and preventions to these
problems.
Not only is impact of tennis injuries important to know, but the prevention measures are
important to realize also. One prevention for a wrist injury is working out properly and having
the right grip on your racket: “Several important factors can be applied to prevent wrist injuries.
The first and most important is the use of proper technique. Players using extreme grips place
their wrist and forearm in positions that place additional stress on the muscles, tendons, and
ligaments and can predispose them to injury” (Ellenbecker). There are many grips a player can
have. Many players use semi western while others use western. Using a western grip will put
more wear and tear on the wrist because the hand, forearm, and wrist are doing more work to hit

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the same ball a player would be hitting with a semi western grip. The technique of a stroke is the
most important part of tennis; therefore, this part needs the most attention. Building up the
muscles in the arm is very vital in the game. Without muscle in the arm, the game would not be
as fast paced as it is now. There are many ways to prevent muscle cramps from occurring
multiple times on and off the court. One prevention once the player gets the cramp is to stop the
work out immediately: “If you get a muscle cramp while exercising, one strategy is to stop your
activity and hold the cramped muscle in a gently stretched position until the cramp resolves. If a
cramp occurs when you are lying down, you may want to do just the opposite -- put weight and
walk on the cramping leg. Light massage may (or may not) help alleviate the pain” (Stoppler).
Muscle cramps come from a lack of potassium in a player’s diet. When the player is not getting
enough of it, the body reacts by cramping. Also, cramps come from players doing rigorous work-
outs and not getting enough stretching afterward. Secondly, teaching about nutrition is a solution
for eating healthy. Many people want to know the different food groups out there and how to
incorporate that into their everyday lives. “Obama has made eliminating child obesity a priority
and the circle puts a greater emphasis on fruits and vegetables” (Brand and Margolis). The
federal government has changed the food pyramid to a food circle now. It is divided into the
same groups but on a plate. The circle also has a smaller plate for the dairy products people need
to eat every day. Also, since the player needs to eat better, the cost of the food is going to go up.
Every healthy food in the grocery store or at a convenience store is more expensive than getting
the unhealthy processed food located everywhere around the store. More people are not going to
want to eat healthy since the cost is much higher. In the end, there are many solutions to fix
injuries and get back on track with eating healthy so the future of resolving these problems will
get better through time.

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Finally, knowing the outlook for preventing the injuries tennis players could possibly get
will help them understand what they face in the future. If tennis players know the problems, the
impacts and the preventions, they will know the likelihood of preventing them in the future of
each injury: “Players using extreme grips place their wrist and forearm in positions that place
additional stress on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments and can predispose them to injury”
(Ellenbecker). The outlook for relieving wrist problems lie in to a new stretching technique that
will help the situation. Hopefully there is an expert of groups designing a new grip that will
cause less strain to the wrist muscles and forearm. With muscle cramps, the outlook for
preventing this injury is quite good if there is enough stretching and exercising going on:
“Insufficient stretching before exercise, exercising in the heat, and muscle fatigue may all play a
role in their causation” (Fallon). With stretching, these cramps go away very quickly so the
outlooks for eliminating these cramps are pretty good. They only last for a few seconds and they
do not leave any evidence behind except for pain. The outlook for treatment is to just wrap the
cramp if it stays with the player for a while and eventually it will disperse. There are some good
and bad aspects of eating healthy and keeping it going for a long time: “Becoming an elite
athlete requires good genes, good training and conditioning and a sensible diet” (Topham). The
cost of food today is sky rocketing and some players may say they do not want to pay so much
money to eat healthy. This issue may lead to many falling off track in the future. If the player
chooses to eat healthy, then the outcome will be very beneficial to her and her game. Overall, the
outlook for preventing injuries is about the same as it is right now: if the player does not want to
do the work to prevent the injury, then it will cause more damage to her body than before.
As can be clearly concluded, there are many ways to hurt muscles and tendons in the
body. This problem may scare players that are entering this field. However, there are many ways

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to prevent these injuries from happening. For example, if a tennis player injures her wrist, there
are many exercises to gain strength back and to keep it healthy throughout her tennis career. In
that case, the players have many options to take when they get injured.

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Works Cited
Brand, Madeleine, and Jacob Margolis. “Food Pyramid Becomes a Food Circle in Makeover.”
Food Pyramid. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://www.scpr.org//////food-pyramid-
gets-makeover/>.
Ellenbecker, Todd S. “Wrist Management: Prevention of Wrist Injuries in Tennis Players.”
United States Tennis Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.usta.com///_Fitness/
59135_Wrist_Management_Prevention_of_Wrist_Injuries_in_Tennis_Players/>.
Fallon, L. Fleming. “Exercise.” Gale Virtual Reference Library. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe and
Deirdre S. Blanchfield. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
<http://go.galegroup.com//.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true
&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cant48040&tabID=T003&searchId=R2&resultListT
ype=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPositio
n=5&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3405600582&&docId=GALE|CX3405600582&docTyp
e=GALE&role=>.

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Haggerty, Maureen. "Sports Injuries." Gale Virtual Reference Library. Ed.
Jacqueline L. Longe and Deirdre S. Blanchfield. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept.
2011.<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/ retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEV
ANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cant48040&tabID=T003&searchI
d=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchFor
m¤tPosition=2&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3405601480&&docId=GALE|CX340560148
0&docType=GALE&role=>.
Stoppler, Melissa. “Muscle Cramp: A Real Pain.” Medicine Net. Ed. William C. Shiel, Jr. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://www.medicinenet.com///.asp?articlekey=47633>.
Topham, K. “Nutrition for the Athlete.” Colorado State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept.
2011. <http://www.ext.colostate.edu///.html>.

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