Should medics be court-side?

Halep won Montreal, Rogers Cup so congratulations to her. She has certainly settled into the coveted number 1 spot with a strong lead over the number 2 player, Wozniacki.  Both players have won a Grand Slam but what of those who haven’t? All tennis players want to be number 1 in the world which is why it surprises me that they don’t enjoy the same privileges as those who win Grand Slams. Maybe one day this will change because it is a fantastic achievement and should be celebrated accordingly!

Last week presented us with an agonizing example of how easily players can become injured and how this impacts on their ranking/career. Buzarnescu, after many years of struggling with injuries, finally made it to a well-deserved number 20 in the world. She was on the up. The week before she won her first title! All that changed last week during her match with Svitolina. Running impressively for a backhand, her ankle went and she was left screaming in agony. Not something spectators wish to see. Svitolina’s reaction was responsive and sympathetic as she held Buzarnescu’s hand as she lay on court in severe pain. It took medics 2 ½ minutes to arrive which the tournament officials thought was good going. Yes, it is good, it’s a quick time for getting from A to B. But that’s not the issue so doesn’t answer Svitolina’s point, why are they running from A to B, which can be varying distances, rather than be court-side? So, I’m with Svitolina, it’s not good enough as a medical care procedure. As Svitolina pointed out, suppose a player has a heart attack (stroke or blood clot), what then?  2 ½ minutes is too long a time. Every second counts! Especially since the athlete has just engaged in strenuous activity, therefore, they could be in greater danger of becoming fatally ill. As it was, it felt a long time before medics arrived to attend to Buzarnescu with Svitolina feeling helpless and very concerned when she saw the swelling of the ankle and blood. The latter is unusual to see visibly, no wonder Svitolina was concerned. It turns out that Buzarnescu suffered a ruptured ligament as well as stretched ligaments. The pain must have been horrendous! We all wish her a speedy recovery for her own sake as well as her ranking that she has worked so hard to achieve.  Here again, I think players suffering from injuries should be allowed to return to the tour at the same ranking they left. What a difference that would make to Buzarnescu. It would also reward/ acknowledge her achievement thus far!

How to resolve this issue of injuries sustained on court? We still have visions of Mattek-Sands’s screams of sheer agony last summer at Wimbledon (2017).  Svitolina made a good case for having medical staff court-side. This would speed up response time which is crucial in reducing the severity of an injury and would save a life should something more serious happen. Response time also improves the recovery rate by providing instant medical damage limitation procedures, for instance, reducing swelling in a relevant way to the injury sustained or putting the person into the recovery position. Medical staff can also prevent potential side-effects eg infections or problems relating to severe loss of blood (both of which can happen very quickly if a broken bone is protruding causing an open wound). By putting on the tournament, officials have taken on the responsibility of looking after world class athletes, regardless of ranking, surely they deserve instant medical care! Maybe, the ITF, WTA, ATP could look into this and make appropriate changes. It’s not the type of sporting event where athletes are scattered over a wider area eg Badminton Trials (cross-country phase). One option would be to have trained (lower level) first-aid staff court-side, which would be less expensive but effective. They would be able to carry out an assessment whether a doctor is needed or a trainer or both and help the player appropriately before a medic arrives. There are many types of procedures a first aider can carry out immediately which can make all the difference. They can also convey vital information when the medic arrives so improving the time taken for treatment. When undertaking a certificated short course on first-aid given by the British Red Cross, I learned how vitally important response time is as well as being able to give relevant details when calling for medical help so the person receives the right type of medic and medical equipment (eg defibrillator in cases of cardiac arrest). Svitolina said she didn’t know what to do and I think we shouldn’t expect players to become first-aid staff as well.  

I was lucky that when I sustained a knee injury at a tournament a medic came on court very quickly and stayed court-side until I finished the match, albeit walking through it because I couldn’t run. I thought that was so sweet of him and helped me feel secure enough to finish the match. It also helped psychologically. I felt he was there for me in case I did further damage to my knees and needed (emergency) help. It took me a long time to recover from the injury but I was grateful that he was there so quickly and that I didn’t have to wait in pain and possibly incur further problems.

On a lighter note, there was a social media post asking for favourite lefties in tennis. I never think of players as right or left-handed. I modelled my game on Seles so played two-handed and, like her, practised with a racquet in each hand so could, at a push, play an out-wide shot single-handed. Unlike Monica, I serve with my right hand but keep practising left hand serves too. However, I find my right hand isn’t good at the toss while my left hand hasn’t the complete muscle support I would like but I’m working on it.

 I like all the lefties on the women’s side. Particular favourites? Lots of them: Navratilova (still the best in the world given her 167 titles, 16 Grand Slams, successful across singles, doubles, mixed), Seles, Safarova, Kvitova, and the come-back mother, Schnyder. I would add Buzarnescu to the list now because she hasn’t received as much coverage and, due to injuries, hasn’t been playing on the tour as frequently as others in the top 30. There are, nevertheless, very few lefties in the top 100. On the men’s side, my favourite lefties are Nadal (right-hander who plays left-handed) and Connors. Maybe parents should encourage their children to play both left-handed and right-handed even if they go on to favour one or the other. Kimiko Date, left-handed but played right-handed, incorporated this style by sometimes playing a leftie forehand instead of a right-handed backhand. It was fascinating to watch live! It also has the added benefit of evening out muscles on both sides so making the player less prone to injury.