Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts as he receives treatment from a trainer during his quarterfinal match ... [+]
When Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in the final of the 2012 Australian Open, an epic 31-shot rally floored the Serb with the score at two sets all and 4-4. “An enduring image was that of the finalists, seated and exhausted, stone-faced side by side sucking on bottles of water,” wrote the Guardian at the end of this five-hour 53-minute epic. It was great entertainment, but this was a brutal end to a 14-day grand slam tournament.
Wimbledon 2024 has resembled a field hospital with wounded troops. The medical sick list increased with Djokovic’s scheduled quarter-final opponent Alex de Minaur pulling out on Wednesday morning. The ninth seed sustained a hip injury in the latter stages of his fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils. While players will always carry niggles through a season, the intensity of the schedule appears to have caught up with some of the world’s best. "I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils and got a scan yesterday and it confirmed that this was the injury and with high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court,” said the Australian.
Djokovic benefited directly as he moved through to the semi-finals. He will empathize with the 25-year-old’s plight though. As former President of the ATP Council, the Serb has always been outspoken about player welfare. “Our sport has become an industry, like most of the other global sports. It's more business than a sport,” he said during the 2018 Melbourne major.
“Of course, we're all blessed to have great financial compensations, great lives. For sure, I'm very grateful for that. (But) at the same time what is most important for us is our health and what happens after our career, after you're 30, 35. There are many players that are struggling. They can't physically walk, run, jog, whatever. I mean, they're struggling some way or another,” he continued.
The 37-year-old could easily have been talking about the men’s elite draw this year. Alexander Zverev was hampered by the knee hyperextension sustained while playing Cameron Norrie on Saturday. The German claimed he was playing on “one leg” in the five-set defeat against Taylor Fritz.
Top seed and World No.1 Jannik Sinner had his blood pressure and oxygen taken during his loss to Daniil Medvedev. The Italian was a reduced figure in the last eight clash after a long physio break. If Holger Rune had managed to sustain longer rallies on Monday evening, he may have tested out Djokovic’s repaired meniscus and the stomach issues which were disturbing the seven-time Wimbledon champion. Grigor Dimitrov stated he would be taking a break from tennis after retiring eight games into his brief tussle with Medvedev. There was even a medical emergency in the crowd on Wednesday which briefly halted the Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti quarter-final.
In the first eight days of Wimbledon, 22 players or doubles partnerships withdrew before a match, including major winners Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azaraenka. The problems have continued on court. Anna Kalinskaya had to pull out against 2022 champion Elena Rybakina with a wrist injury while a tearful Madison Keys couldn’t serve out against Jasmine Paolini after her hamstring went.
The pressure of scheduling, defending ranking points and moving from event to event all have a cumulative effect. Tennis needs new stars and is trying to recalibrate its rules and outreach to a younger audience. There is nowhere to hide when there are seats to be filled.
In March, The Professional Tennis Players Association, the breakaway movement co-founded by Djokovic after he resigned from the ATP, set up a 24/7 healthcare service called MedNet which is available to all players. Tennis players are independent contractors and apart from the on-site care given at tournaments, they are responsible for their own medical provision beyond the stadium.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his fourth round match against Hulger Rune of Denmark at the ... [+]
Players are becoming more vocal about the tug of war between broadcaster demands and their own health and safety. Andy Murray has also questioned the wisdom of playing late into the night through bitter experience at Melbourne. Majors have their own late night hours. Wimbledon’ s 11 p.m. curfew ensures that dramatic finishes can be postponed to the next day whereas new rules are designed to prevent matches running after that time on both the ATP and WTA regular tours.
Ultimately, tennis is a gladiatorial sport that can make a superb spectacle when both players are in great shape. The issues arise when there’s a match-up on paper but the one-on-one is compromised. Nadal beat Fritz in an epic 2022 Wimbledon quarter-final despite an abdominal tear. The payoff was that there was no semi-final with Nick Kyrgios. A decade ago, even the great Roger Federer pulled out of a ATP Tour Final against his nemesis, Djokovic.
No-one wants a trophy to be given out without a match. Tennis hopes it doesn't get to that stage in a major final.