Tendonitis (Cross-posted from tennis_struck)
The post is a bit out of data because Rafa has made his comeback, but given what happened since, I think it's still worth posting. Hope you agree.
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I read with interest that Rafael Nadal has made his comeback from tendonitis. Now, I have to admit that this isn't an entirely altruistic, as I am a fellow tendonitis sufferer, although thankfully I don't earn my money from sport, and I'd love to know how he's coping with it.
I'd also love to know what his treatment was because I feel it may well be slightly more complicated than my advice from the doctor which was 'keep taking the pain killers'. Also, my tendonitis is in my wrists, which are, obviously, less load bearing than knees.
It's interesting to see how his performances go in this context, because I know my own athletic activities are curtailed by my tendonitis - there are no press-ups in my warm-ups for instance.
More importantly, will it affect the shots he chooses to make or chooses to run down? Because so much of Rafa's game is based on being indefatigable. Will there be balls he doesn't chase because doing so would put his legs under too great a strain, and will that give his opponents hope that they didn't have before?
The comparison I'd like to make is with Lleyton Hewitt, because a lot of his game, before his various hip injuries, was based on chasing down everything with terrier-like tenacity. When he was unable to do that, there was a corresponding dip in his results. Because Rafa plays a similar game in his return games (even if his style in most other ways is very different), I worry that the same thing is going to happen to Rafa.
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I read with interest that Rafael Nadal has made his comeback from tendonitis. Now, I have to admit that this isn't an entirely altruistic, as I am a fellow tendonitis sufferer, although thankfully I don't earn my money from sport, and I'd love to know how he's coping with it.
I'd also love to know what his treatment was because I feel it may well be slightly more complicated than my advice from the doctor which was 'keep taking the pain killers'. Also, my tendonitis is in my wrists, which are, obviously, less load bearing than knees.
It's interesting to see how his performances go in this context, because I know my own athletic activities are curtailed by my tendonitis - there are no press-ups in my warm-ups for instance.
More importantly, will it affect the shots he chooses to make or chooses to run down? Because so much of Rafa's game is based on being indefatigable. Will there be balls he doesn't chase because doing so would put his legs under too great a strain, and will that give his opponents hope that they didn't have before?
The comparison I'd like to make is with Lleyton Hewitt, because a lot of his game, before his various hip injuries, was based on chasing down everything with terrier-like tenacity. When he was unable to do that, there was a corresponding dip in his results. Because Rafa plays a similar game in his return games (even if his style in most other ways is very different), I worry that the same thing is going to happen to Rafa.