04-02 - Tennis - Rafael Nadal makes his return to Wimbledon

Known as the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has always been held at the All England Club since 1877. The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July. There are various main events, but the two most intriguing are the "Gentlemen's Singles" and the "Ladies' Singles". Barring any injuries, all of the top-seeded tennis athletes in the world participate in this 1 of 4 Grand Slam event. (128 players participate in each individual event) I'll list some creative / longstanding traditions associated with Wimbledon:

Colours and Uniforms:

- Dark green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours

- All tennis players participating in the tournament are required to wear all white, or almost all white

Royal Family:

- Players are only required to bow or curtsy on if Her Majesty "the Queen" or "the Prince of Wales" is present. (the Queen was in attendance at this years Wimbledon match on June 24, 2010

Trophies and Prize Money:

- The Gentlemen's Singles Champion receives a silver gilt cup that is 18.5 inches in height and 7.5 inches in diameter. This trophy has been awarded since 1887 and bears the inscription: "All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World."

- The Ladies' Singles Champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish". The salver, which is 18.75 inches in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology.





This year marks the return of Rafael Nadal (Spain), currently ranked #1 in the world, who has sat out last years tournament due to a knee injury. Rafael Nadal has been playing tennis since the age of three. He broke onto the professional scene at the age of sixteen, breaking numerous records along the way. His playing style is generally aggressive based on heavy topspin groundstrokes, consistency, footwork and unbelievable court coverage. He is considered to be one of the best baseliner tennis professional in the game today. With two Grand Slam titles and numerous ATP Master Series / ATP Tour titles under his belt, he definitely has potential to surpass Roger Federer and many others as one of the best of All-Time.
The only negative aspect of his career has been the nagging knee injuries that has recently escalated to the surface. During the 2009 Wimbledon trials, Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw due to tendinitis of his right knee. This specific injury stemmed from a previous knee injury. Earlier in the year, he damaged the tendons around the knee area and since then he has been diagnosed with tendinitis in both quadriceps tendons as well as a small amount of fluid on the kneecaps. Despite all of these diagnoses, he has publicly stated that these injuries, however painful, are not career threatening.

What is knee-tendinitis?: ( Weblink )
- it is an inflammation of the tendons in the knee. The most common type of knee tendinitis is patellar tendinitis, which involves the tendon below the kneecap.

Symptoms of knee-tendinitis:
- knee pain that worsens with movement, climbing and jumping
- swelling, warmth and tenderness over the tendon

Treatment of knee-tendinitis:
- rest, cold compresses, elevation, an elastic wrap and physical therapy
- also used are anti-inflammatory medication

Recovery time:
- Tendinitis recovery will vary on alot of factors: age of patient, seriousness of the injury/tendon, availability of medical services /treatment

Prevention:

1. Warm UP properly - practice small movements to warm up the body or the area that will be exerting the most force


2. Avoid activities that can cause pain


3. Always provide the body with enough rest and recovery (I like to use protein shakes as a good source of recovery / pre-workout sources)


4. Balancing exercises - I see too many weight lifters focusing on building their biceps, so they do hammer / barbell curls all day long, this can cause severe stress to the elbow joints


5. Footwear - "Its gotta be the shoes.."


6. Strapping - taping or utilizing knee support braces will add another layer of support for weak or injured knees