World No. 2 tennis player Rafael Nadal will miss the 2014 US Open starting on Monday next week due to an injury. Nadal announced the news on his Facebook page on Monday, saying:
‘I am very sorry to announce I won’t be able to play at this year’s US Open, a tournament on which I’ve played three consecutive final in my last participations. Not much more I can do right now, other than accept the situation and, as always in my case, work hard in order to be able to compete at the highest level once I am back’.
Nadal injured his wrist during a practice session in Mallorca, after doctors found ‘a minor detachment of the posterior cubital tunnel’, where the ulnar nerve passes through from the elbow to the wrist. Although his racket hand was not injured, the injury would greatly affect his two-handed back hand.
The injury means the 28 year old will have to wear a cast for up to three weeks and also forced Nadal to sit out of the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters, both of which he held the title to.
The Spaniard will now be unable to defend his US Open title, and will have to miss the tournament due to an injury for the second time in three years. Nadal also missed the 2012 US Open due to an injury in his knee and it is the third time he will be unable to defend a grand slam title, after an injury also prevented him from competing at Wimbledon in 2012 .
Dr Ian McCurdie, a Consultant in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Medicine at the ISEH and part of the medical team for the The Championships, Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Finals, gave his thoughts on the injury:
‘Wrist injuries are relatively common in professional tennis, accounting for approximately 10% of injuries seen during the Wimbledon Championships. Many of these are caused by repetitive loading (mechanical stress) on sensitive structures around the joint, including tendons, cartilage and nerves. Following assessment by a specialist sports medicine doctor, these injuries often require detailed imaging with a high quality MRI scan (such as is available at ISEH) to determine the exact nature and extent of the damage. This enables more accurate treatment programmes and predictions of ‘time loss’ – a critical question for any professional athlete.’
‘Nadal’s injury will require a period of reduced loading (including wearing a cast and not hitting tennis balls) to allow healing, whilst he maintains his fitness off the court to ensure he can return to competition as soon as the wrist injury has resolved. However eager he may be to re-join the tour, returning too early risks a relapse of the same injury and potential longer term damage to the wrist. Managing a professional athlete’s safe return to sport can certainly be challenging for all concerned.’