PUSHING TOO HARD CAN OFTEN CAUSE A SECONDARY INJURY, BECAUSE THE BODY IS NOT READY FOR THE STRESSES IT IS BEING PUT THROUGH
The problem for players who are out formore than three or fourmonths with a serious injury is that their bodies are not robust when they start training again. You can do asmuchwork as you like in the gym, but nothing prepares the body for tennis like playing tennis. The road back is tricky. Pushing too hard can often cause a secondary injury, because the body is not ready for the stresses it is being put through. It becomes a vicious circle as the player tries to regain tennis fitness without causing further injury. The trouble is that these are fantastic competitorswho automatically start to push themselves once they feel good on the ball again.When they start to play points theywill naturally play full out, but going a little bit too long and too early takes them into the danger zone again. Themental challenges for players with long-term injuries are huge. To get through the inevitable tediumof rehabilitation, they need to keep reminding themselves of the prize of playing again. Once they get back on the court, they then have to regain their confidence in the injured area so that they are no longer tentative and trying to protect it.
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