Tennis Player At U.S. Open Collapses On Court After Suffering Pre-Game Concussion

Posted on 2nd September 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

collapse of Victoria Azarenka, concussions and tennis, mild brain injury

Tennis fans at the U.S. Open were shocked Wednesday when top-ranked player Victoria Azarenka collapsed on the court during the middle of a match in the steamy New York City heat. But the temperature, more than 100 degrees on the court, wasn’t the prime culprit in her fall. She had sustained a concussion earlier in the day.

It’s not often you hear about concussions in pro tennis, but here’s what happened.

Azarenka, it turns out, had fallen and hit her head during a warm-up prior to her match. Her agent told The New York Times that Azarenka had tripped over the hem of her sweat pants.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/sports/tennis/02collapse.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

The 21-year-old Belarusian was examined by doctors, and was deemed OK to play. I’d have to question that decision. Even though it is a huge tournament for Azarenka. I would have erred on the side of caution, and kept her off the court, which was steamy hot.

Azarenka staggered and collapsed after hitting a backhand during her match. She was taken off the court in a wheelchair, treated at a Queens, N.Y., hospital and released Wednesday afternoon.

She also released a statement abut her warm-up accident, which the New York Post published.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/collapse_in_heat_shocks_us_open_mujFWIAuScuzgzJJibvOTO

“I fell forward and hit my arm and head,” Azarenka said. “I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell. I was taken to the hospital for some medical tests and have been diagnosed with a mild concussion.”

Azarenka should have stopped playing when she began to get a headache, a classic symptom of a concussion. But the medical team at the Open should have realized she was having problems. The Times pointed out that Azarenka was visibly wobbly on her feet early on.