Injury list of elite players makes for uncomfortable reading

THE top players don’t want to remove the Australian Open from their schedule but pressure is growing for the dates to change. It leaves the elite with some tough choices to make as the casualty list makes for uncomfortable reading, writes Leo Schlink.

Rafael Nadal grimaces as he walks on court while preparing to serve to Croatia's Marin Cilic.

AS injury bulletins go, it makes for uncomfortable reading.

Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori are among the most illustrious names in tennis.

Neither Murray nor Nishikori competed at the Australian Open. Nadal, Djokovic and Wawrinka did so — with ranging levels of effectiveness.

With the exception of Nadal, whose diesel-like qualities enable him to overcome dodgy knees and soft tissue ailments, fragility has steadily crept into the top end of the sport.

Roger Federer’s fabulous 2017 was preceded by a six-month absence to rehabilitate a knee injury; back soreness has been a constant bugbear for the Swiss great.

Nadal has long railed against schedule, not so much the length of it, but where it starts.

Australia. Or more particularly, the Australian Open.

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Rafael Nadal grimaces as he walks on court while preparing to serve to Croatia's Marin Cilic.

Almost every year, players yanked out of the European chill mutter about not having enough time to be ready for January’s heat — even if the timeslot has been set in stone for decades.

Tennis Australia remains committed to a mid-January start to what almost every player regards as the most functional and enjoyable of the four majors.

TA’s largesse towards the player cohort is unrivalled. Little wonder it is the most popular.

But there is a cloud on the horizon. Two, in fact, and they could soon merge into a threatening mess.

TA is keen to reshape the Australian summer of tennis with the relaunch of the World Team Cup.

Venues in Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney would be used for what is essentially a preparation event.

At this stage, it is a men’s only tournament.

The men support the concept — on the basis it starts a week later, which means the Open would be pushed back a week.

TA wants the Open to stay where it is because of the school holidays.

Stan Wawrinka grabs his knee during play against Tennys Sandgren.

The players argue an extra week would go some way to removing the injury scourge, bearing in mind Djokovic and Wawrinka were dealing with pre-existing issues when they arrived in Melbourne.

In an ideal world, there would be fewer tournaments, fewer injuries and longer careers.

Which brings us back to a certain Roger Federer.

Federer bypassed the French Open last year because he wanted to have the best preparation possible to win Wimbledon.

He watched Nadal collect a 10th Roland Garros championship and then swept to an eighth All England Club crown.

At 36, having made health and longevity non-negotiable priorities, he remains the sport’s benchmark.

To achieve that, he tailored his schedule.

Given that nobody wants to remove the Australian Open from their schedule, and TA is steadfast with its date, there’s a choice to be made.

Injuries are inevitable and part of sport, but there are simply too many great players struggling.

Inadequate preparation is another thing and, as Andre Agassi found to his benefit, December is not the month when the Open is lost, but it’s when victory foundations are laid.

That being so, Nadal’s rallying call for a review of some kind won’t go unheeded.