After an off-season in which they had the chance to relax, recharge their batteries and heal their jaded bodies, the top guns of tennis were expected to come out swinging at the start of the new year. Nevertheless, what happened was by far a different scenario, with a string of top names picking up injuries at their first showing.
The first days of 2012 saw the much anticipated return of two fierce champions as Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters were set to make a comeback in Brisbane. Serena hasn't played since losing the US Open final to Sam Stosur, while Kim has been sidelined for much of 2011. Their time on the court didn't last long though. If the American survived two matches before twisting her ankle, the Belgian made it until the semifinals when a hip injury prevented her from completing her encounter with Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. The outcome marked another missed chance to see the two go head-to-head. And with a blurry future ahead of us, these chances are becoming scarcer by the day. Clijsters' days are already numbered, as the Belgian announced she is not making any plans after the London Olympics this summer. The American on the other hand has always been a part-time player. At 30 years old and riding on a string of recent injuries, Serena is not expected to feature in too many tournaments in the years to come. Therefore, it's such a pity that when these fine women of tennis decide to play, they are prevented from giving their all by their fading bodies. Nevertheless, looking at the positives, in both cases the injuries are not serious enough to stop them from taking part in the first Grand Slam of 2012 in Melbourne where both have experienced past success. Kim is the defending champion, while Serena has five crowns under her belt.
Besides the duo, German rising star Sabine Lisicki withdrawn from Auckland after sustaining a back injury during her quarterfinal clash against compatriot Angelique Kerber. The latest to confirm that the WTA tour is hit by a severe injury plague was Italian Flavia Pennetta. Flavia's timing was without a doubt the worst. After a strong week of tennis in Auckland in which she did not lose a set, she looked well pose for a straight sets final win against Chinese Jie Zheng . Then the inevitable stroke. From a set and 2-0 up, Pennetta managed to win a sole game before forfeiting the dispute while being 2-0 down in the decider, awarding her opponent an unexpected crown. In her case, it looks as though she is dealing with a recurring back problem, the same that ruined most of the previous season.
There are worrying news also from the men's camp, as red-hot Roger Federer withdrawn from his semifinal date with French Tsonga accusing back problems. According to his statement, he sustained the damaged during a routine second round defeat of Slovak Grega Zemlja and the problem got worst while playing Italian Andreas Seppi in the quarterfinals. This injury comes just days after the Swiss expressed concern about his aging body not being able to hold on physically to the endurance of the ATP tour matches. So far, Roger has been a master at staying injury free. In his career he picked up one or two small problems, but luckily nothing too serious. This enabled him to have such a long, fruitful career. I pretty much hope things will remain uncharged, as the Swiss needs full health and a strong physical condition if he wants to challenge the reign of Djokovic, Nadal and Murray.
While all of these players experienced some inconveniences during the past week, so far all have remained confident on their chances at the Australian Open. Wish to see them all at full strength in Melbourne!
photos: GETTY IMAGES
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