The strict quarantine period established to ensure the safety of the Australian Open it's wreaking havoc on tennis players. It is a fact that the physical preparation for the first Grand Slam of the season has not been adequate. Those 14 days of total isolation that the vast majority of players lived in their hotels (with the exception of the cream of the crop in the ranking), where they pulled their imagination to be able to exercise in a minimum space and without resources, they have taken their toll throughout the first week of the tournament in the form of discomfort or injury.
The list of affected players is extensive, especially if we look at the noble zone of tennis: Novak Djokovic (who did not train this Saturday), Daniil Medvedev, Fabio Fognini (Nadal's opponent in the round of 16), Matteo Berrettini … Most of these cases converge on the same point: pain in the abdominal area. And this is because the tennis players have not been able to practice this technical gesture during the two weeks of quarantine. So explains it Alex Corretja, Former tennis player and current Eurosport commentator, during this Saturday's broadcast: “The players suffer in the abdominal area because in the preparation, which has not been the normal one, perhaps they have not made many serves to find sensations in the game, in other strokes. In addition, they also suffer more when playing five-set matches. “
Berrettini receives medical assistance during the match against Khachanov.
Matt King (Getty Images)
A separate case is that of Rafa Nadal, who two weeks after landing in Melbourne already showed some discomfort in his back that prevented him from playing the ATP Cup. However, with the passing of the days and the rounds in the oceanic Grand Slam, the Balearic physical condition improves. And this has not been the only setback for La Armada. Pablo Carreño could not even make a game to Grigor Dimitrov until his retirement (6-0 and 1-0) and Pablo Martinez Nor was he in a position to give his best against Dusan Lajovic, both, also with the famous abdominal discomfort.
All this without forgetting that the female cadre is equally punished, since most of the tennis players drag discomfort from the first rounds and look bulky bandages, like number 1 Ashleigh Barty. This panorama leaves a very open tournament and gives more chances of success to outsiders who have not yet shown physical problems, such as Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev or Garbiñe Muguruza, among others. Will we see a changing of the guard in Melbourne this year?