Australian Open shaping up to be injury clinic
Both Clijsters and Williams, the 2010 Australian Open champion, were playing their first tournaments in four months. Clijsters struggled with injuries last season and only played eight tournaments, including the win at the Australian Open which helped her return to the No 1 ranking for one week.
She said her hip had started to go into spasm during the match and she withdrew to avoid a serious rupture.
I felt my left hip was getting tighter and tighter to the point I couldnt move forward with my upper body, she said. So it was the smartest choice to try and not let it get any worse, to be ready for Melbourne.
Players have complained in the past that the Australian Open is too early in the season, with most having limited tournament play after the offseason. The heat in the Australian summer is another issue and the predominance of hard-court tournaments is often cited as contributing to injuries.
Oh, its definitely more demanding, Clijsters said of the hard-courts, but I think every surface has their advantages and disadvantages.
Its just, our sport has evolved into such a strong sport where physically, I mean, its so much more demanding on the body and how we play.
Clijsters said players were spending more time in the gym to build strength to cope with the increasing demands on their bodies and many traveled with a physio.
When I came on tour…nobody was hardly ever in the gym besides warming up with a skipping rope or doing some shoulder exercises and now theres everybody, because its necessary, she said. The tennis that I play is physically so demanding on the body and then…combine that on a hard court.
Murray, who will play in a mens semi-final at Brisbane on Saturday, dropped the opening sets in his first two rounds as he overcame soreness and stiffness from the offseason. He breezed through a quarterfinal against 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis and said hes feeling OK now.
Nadal, who has struggled with a sore left shoulder, was beaten in straight sets by Gael Monfils in the Qatar Open semi-finals on Friday, but did not blame any injury problems for the loss.
There have been several other injury pullouts. Sixth-seeded Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia withdrew from Qatar with a right ankle injury, and at Brisbane, Florian Mayer retired with a groin injury and Tommy Haas with a calf muscle injury.
Maria Sharapova withdrew before the Brisbane tournament with an injured ankle and Venus Williams announced in mid-December that she was pulling out of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, which was supposed to be her first competitive match since August. The 31-year-old Williams is still recovering from the immune system disease Sjogrens syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain.
There has been no word on Venus status for the Australian Open. Her sisters fitness for Melbourne will likely be in doubt until just before the tournament starts.
Im going to take a couple of days off, not too many, and see how I feel, Serena Williams, the 2010 Australian Open champion said after her withdrawal at Brisbane. Im still hopeful of playing the Australian Open.
– AP
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