Injuries and withdrawals in tennis and football highlight how quickly overuse occurs. Why pushing through is dangerous and how rehab must be managed.
Whether in tennis, football, or endurance sports: the reports of injured athletes show no sign of stopping. In tennis, injuries and withdrawals are piling up drastically. According to tennisnet.com, Carlos Alcaraz missed tournaments for months due to a wrist injury, while Jannik Sinner had to end his season prematurely after Wimbledon due to inflammation in his right knee. At the WTA tournament in Wuhan, ten out of 25 top players were missing at once – including Elena Rybakina with a foot injury and Linda Noskova with calf problems. Frances Tiafoe had to withdraw in Lyon due to a leg injury, and according to Transfermarkt, Hoffenheim's Albian Hajdari is out for weeks with plantar fascia issues.
These cases illustrate that athletes often reach their physical limits. However, how such problems are handled determines long-term health – and this is precisely where amateurs can take away vital lessons.
According to reports from tennisnet.com and Tennis365, Alexander Zverev dragged himself through the tournament in Shanghai despite an ankle injury. In his match against Alexander Bublik, he winced in pain, yet continued playing because, by his own account, he has only had to retire once in his entire career. Zverev admitted that the pain intensified during the match and that he felt his body more and more clearly following a long season.
Ignoring warning signs is demonstrated even more drastically by British sprinter Beth Dobbin. As BBC Sport reports, she continued training and competing despite exhaustion, a sore throat, dizziness, and numbness in her legs following previous infections. Today, she suffers from ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), spends most of the day in bed, and looking back, warned of the devastating consequences of pushing through. Judoka and UFC fighter Kayla Harrison also reported massive issues, according to BJJ Eastern Europe: despite numbness and pain in her arm, she attempted to prepare for a fight before requiring emergency surgery following months of attempted therapies, receiving a two-level cervical spine fusion.
A look at professional football underlines that a successful return cannot be forced. According to The Guardian, the comeback of Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni following a severe knee injury (involving the anterior cruciate ligament) was delayed by another month. Manager Andoni Iraola explained that the process had to be approached with extreme caution, preferring to lose time rather than risk a setback. For teammate Hugo Ekitiké (Achilles tendon injury), the focus is likewise on a measured rebuild according to plan.
Clubs also respond with deliberate load management: according to the FAZ, Borussia Dortmund rested centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck for a match in Bodö. Managing Director for Sport Lars Ricken and head coach Niko Kovač justified this as pure load management for his damaged ankle, as the travel stress and the local artificial pitch would have been unsuitable.
The fact that patience is key right from the start is also illustrated by the example of runner Vanessa Mikitenko on leichtathletik.de. Over eight years, her coach Benjamin Stalf relied on a careful, long-term athletic development that steadily guided her to her first senior national title without rushed leaps.
Recreational athletes are rarely under the schedule pressure of ATP points or contracts. Nevertheless, many tend to ignore warning signs, much like Zverev, or return to full training far too early after injuries. The following principles derived from the experiences of the pros will help you manage your training:
Your takeaway: Never ignore pain and exhaustion for short-term training goals; adapt your load flexibly instead.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.