PLAY THE GAME, PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN

ELIZABETH LAVIN

Multiple Tennis Balls

YOU MAY THINK OF TENNIS AS A MEASLY SPORT, BUT RIGHT NOW TENNIS IS

DEMANDING ATTENTION! TENNIS IS REACHING A NEW TIME, AND THE

PHYSICAL DEMANDS ARE CHANGING. NOW, YOU MUST PUSH THROUGH THE

PAIN IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME.

Why you want to keep

playing

Why you shouldn’t keep playing

How to stay safe

Your Opinion

Tomas Berdych

WHY YOU WANT TO KEEP PLAYING

WHEN YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE PLAYING, IT CAN PUT PHYSICAL STRESS ON YOUR MIND AND

MUSCLES. BUT THERE DEFINITELY ARE SOME ADVANTAGES TO PLAYING THROUGH THE PAIN. PLAYING THROUGH THE PAIN BUILDS STAMINA,

DETERMINATION, AND PERSEVERANCE. THOSE ARE SOME GREAT TRAITS TO HAVE, BUT YOU MIGHT GO

THROUGH A LOT OF PAIN TO GET THEM. ALTHOUGH YOU NOT ONLY GET STAMINA, DETERMINATION, AND PERSEVERANCE, YOU ALSO BUILD MENTAL

TOUGHNESS AND STRENGTH. PLUS, IF YOU’RE NOT REALLY IN PAIN, YOU STILL CONTINUE TO PLAY THE

MATCH TO TEACH YOU NOT TO LIE.

Why you want to keep

playing

Why you shouldn’t keep playing

How to stay safe

Your Opinion

WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO KEEP PLAYING

PLAYING TENNIS CAN PUT A LOT OF STRAIN ON YOUR MUSCLES. AND SOMETIMES, IT’S BEST TO QUIT. BY QUITTING, YOU REDUCE THE CHANCE OF GETTING

INJURED FURTHER. TENNIS IS CHANGING, AND YOU NEED TO HIT HARDER AND WITH MORE POWER TO KEEP UP WITH THE GAME. DOUG SPREEN, A SPORTS MEDICINE

TRAINER ON THE ATP TOUR, STATES “THERE HAS DEFINITELY BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF

INJURIES IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. I BELIEVE THAT MOST OF THAT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT GUYS

ARE HITTING THE BALL MUCH HARDER THAN THEY WERE 10 YEARS AGO. THE PLAYERS MUST ALSO MOVE MORE QUICKLY AND EXPLOSIVELY TO GET TO BALLS. IF GUYS

ARE GOING TO PLAY WITH MORE POWER, THE BODY HAS TO BE TRAINED TO HIT WITH MORE POWER.” SPREEN

ALSO SAID “NOW EVERYONE IS TAKING MORE RISKS AND CHALLENGES, THOSE OF WHICH CAN MAKE OR BREAK A

CAREER.”

Why you want to keep

playing

Why you shouldn’t keep playing

How to stay safe

Your Opinion

Doug Spreen coaching a player.

HOW TO STAY SAFEDOUG SPREEN, A MEDICINAL TRAINER, KNOWS A LOT ABOUT KEEPING

THE BODY FIT, BUT NOT JUST THE BODY. TENNIS IS ALSO A SPORT OF THE MIND. DID YOU KNOW THAT JUST ONE BAD MEMORY CAN MAKE A PLAYER QUIT TENNIS FOREVER? AND ONE PLAYER CAN MAKE A HUGE

DIFFERENCE. IMAGINE IF SERENA WILLIAMS, WINNER OF OVER TWENTY GRAND SLAMS, CURRENTLY NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD, HAD QUIT

TENNIS. VENUS, HER SISTER, WOULD BE AN ONLY CHILD. VENUS MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN STARTED TENNIS. ALSO, WHO WOULD BE

NUMBER ONE? ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. SO, PICTURE THIS: A DOUBLES TEAM IS SERVING 4-3 IN THE THIRD SET.

THE BALL GOES UP AND THEN… AND THEN… THE NON-SERVING PARTNER HAS HIS KNEE GO OUT. THE PLAYER WAS NOT REALLY IN PAIN,

BUT HE COULDN’T CONTINUE PLAY SO THEY RETIRED THE MATCH AT THE POINT. COULD THAT HAPPEN TO YOU? HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO

PREVENT IT. WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING TENNIS, ALWAYS HAVE PAINKILLERS, ICE AND

HEAT PACKS, PLUS BAND-AIDS ON SIGHT. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THE NEAREST HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL CLINIC. BE SURE TO

CARE FOR THE INJURY USING PRICE METHOD: P: PROTECT THE AREA HURT, R: REST THE INJURED AREA, I: ICE THE INJURED AREA, C:

COMPRESS THE AREA, E: ELEVATE THE SWOLLEN AREA.REMEMBER, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HEAL THE INJURY. FOR

EXAMPLE, A HOT PAD IS BEST FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND NON-SWELLED INJURIES. HEAT RELAXES TIGHT MUSCLES AND STIMULATES BLOOD

FLOW. BUT, AN ICE PACK IS USED FOR AFTER ACUTE INJURIES OR FOLLOWING A TRAMATIC INJURY TO REDUCE SWELLING AND PAIN.

Why you want to keep

playing

Why you shouldn’t keep playing

How to stay safe

Your Opinion

.

YOUR OPINIONSO, COULD YOU HURT YOUR KNEE? WOULD YOU HAVE TO KEEP PLAYING? YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO. IN FACT, YOU MIGHT NOT

HAVE TO.SINCE THE INJURED PLAYER WASN’T SERVING, THERE WERE

ONLY TWO GAMES LEFT, AND SINCE THE RULES STATE A PLAYER CAN BE POSITIONED ANYWHERE ON THE COURT, THE

SERVING PARTNER COULD’VE PLAYED OUT THE GAME BY HIMSELF- AS LONG AS THE PLAYER WAS ON THE COURT. THE

PLAYER COULD’VE STOOD ANYWHERE, EVEN LEANING AGAINST THE BACK FENCE. THAT WOULD’VE BEEN OKAY.WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING TENNIS- OR ANY SPORT- PLAYING

THROUGH PAIN SHOULD NEVER BE OKAY. CONTINUING TO PLAY CAN BUILD CHARACTER, BUT DO YOU REALLY WANT TO

BE FORCED THROUGH THAT ORDEAL? NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE FORCED TO PLAY.

Why you want to keep

playing

Why you shouldn’t keep playing

How to stay safe

Your Opinion

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