World No. 1 Iga Swiatek had a scary moment during her quarterfinal tennis match at the Italian Open against Elena Rybakina.
During a rally, Swiatek stretched to hit the ball and then stopped short.
Swaitek took a moment to collect herself and tried not to show the pain that she was experiencing.
Iga Swiatek stumbles & limps in her match against Elena Rybakina
This does not look good.
The beauty of her game is her physicality, but it can be a double edged sword.
Hopefully she’s alright. ❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/70Nv5rmf6e
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 17, 2023
She got her thigh wrapped and tried to fight through the match but ultimately retired.
It is only natural that she was thinking ahead about her health for the upcoming French Open starting next week.
Sad moment for Iga Swiatek as she retires to Elena Rybakina in Rome
They both played some beautiful tennis. 💔
Hopefully she recovers quickly for Roland Garros. pic.twitter.com/QPx21H9TaL
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 17, 2023
Swiatek took to social media to update her fans on her condition.
What Swiatek Said
Swaitek indicated that she is getting her thigh checked out.
Hi Guys. I'm sure you're thinking about what happened last night. We're checking it. During the second set I got a thigh injury. The diagnostic is in progress. More info in the following days. Will keep you updated.
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) May 18, 2023
Later, she posted another update that indicated she was traveling to Paris for the French Open but seemed unsure if she could play.
🤞🏼Quick update.A couple of days off for sure. And booking my flight to Paris, so…fingers crossed, please! Hopefully, see you soon.
🤞🏼Update.Potrzebuję na pewno kilku dni odpoczynku. Bilety do Paryża rezerwujemy, więc… trzymajcie kciuki. Mam nadzieję – do zobaczenia niedługo pic.twitter.com/k8TO8cuROr— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) May 18, 2023
A French Open Potentially Without Both Defending Champions
If Swiatek cannot play, both defending singles champions would be out at Roland Garros.
On Thursday, 14-time champion Rafael Nadal announced that he could not play at Roland Garros.
The Grand Slam tournaments are the Super Bowls of tennis, and not having the best players there is extremely disappointing.
The official draw for the French Open is on May 25 so there is still time for Swiatek to recover and play, but tournament organizers have to be concerned.
Why Are There So Many Injuries?
The 11-month tennis “season” is something that is often overlooked when it comes to players’ physical and mental health.
It is the longest season in professional sports, and it involves extensive travel, conditioning, and training on different surfaces.
Players have been concerned about the schedule for years noting that there are about 13 mandatory tournaments in different countries, some running two weeks long, and on different surfaces.
Andy Murray echoes Nadal's remarks saying the ATP needs to reduce the number of Mandatory tournaments.
There are about 13 of those –
The 4 Grand Slams, 8 1000 master series and the year end ATP finals.— Latifat Adebayo-Ohio (@Phatill) January 23, 2018
Failure to play in mandatory tournaments causes a hit to the player’s ranking.
Lower-ranked players are required to play more matches (whereas they would sometimes get early round byes as a higher-ranked player), and it also requires the players to face harder opponents earlier in the tournament.
More matches and a tougher draw are the factors players have to consider if they choose to skip tournaments.
Tennis is a great sport, but it should not come at the expense of the players’ physical and mental health because they are attempting to keep up with a very rigorous schedule.
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