Emma Raducanu complained about the rise in wrist injuries ahead of the grass season, as she had to undergo surgery for her own wrist issues last year.
As tennis has progressed as a sport, the demands put on players have become bigger and bigger. This is not just in terms of pure skill but also physical capabilities, as today’s game is far more physical than tennis 30 years ago.
Some changes include changes in the tennis balls, which are heavier these days than before. That was a highly controversial change that didn’t get approval from many players for obvious reasons.
We’ve seen a spike in the shoulder, elbow, and, most notably, wrist problems among players, which many attribute to the heavier tennis balls. Raducanu is one of those players who dealt with a wrist injury.
She had to undergo surgery for it and missed 8 months of action because of the surgery. Dominic Thiem’s wrist injury essentially destroyed his career and it’s a problem.
Players have been complaining about it for a couple of years now, but nothing has really changed so far. Raducanu, as she told the Telegraph, is not a fan of the balls in use.
“It was important for me to take time to transition onto the grass because the balls over the grass season are heavy. I feel like the conditions are just getting slower and slower on the grass courts. Especially for myself having had wrist surgeries, I just needed to prioritise the transition.”
“I’m not the only one with wrist issues. I’m probably just the one who’s had them most publicly. So, I think for me it’s definitely a factor where I have to miss certain events because either the conditions or the balls just don’t favour my situation.”
Raducanu, like many of her colleagues, wants to see a change to better protect players’ health because the wrist is a delicate part of a tennis player’s body and is under a lot of pressure with the current Tour’s setup.
“I think wrists are always very delicate and I think especially with how the tour is right now, and the fact we have to change balls every single week pretty much, and they don’t regulate the ball.”