Thank God It’s MRI Day

Fiend at Court Unplugged

As a senior tennis player, I am always on the lookout for ways to put a little more “pop” in my game. Unfortunately, last weekend I wrong-footed myself trying to recover position from a deep lob and felt a “pop” in my foot and ankle area. It was immediately apparent that I would be retiring from the match. I couldn’t take a step without excruciating pain. I am having an MRI today and will know on Monday the full nature and extent of the injury. (I have a pretty good idea what it is.)

The Timing Couldn’t Have Been Worse

The National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships gets underway in Houston on Monday. The draws were already published when my injury occurred and my name appears in both the singles and double’s draws. That tournament was why I have recently been aggressively pursuing singles matches in both practice and league play.

I am still making the trip to Houston. The National Women’s Tennis Organization (NWTO) Annual Membership meeting happens during that tournament. Adam Hutchinson, the new Senior Manager of Adult Competition at the USTA, will also be in attendance. The NWTO has recently designated me as the organization’s liaison to the USTA. Building a personal connection to Adam was already on the top of my agenda for the week.

Barring unexpected results from the MRI and a miraculous recovery, I will probably not be playing tennis next week. If it hasn’t already occurred to the Trophy Husband to hide my racquets, he should probably do that now.

The Timing Couldn’t Have Been Better

I had been experiencing issues with my foot and ankle for slightly over a year. I have been limping along. (Sorry, I couldn’t stop myself from writing that.) At some point along the way I should have taken the decision to rest and heal for an extended period of time. That course of action is now forced upon me. This is probably the only way it was going to happen.

With my relegation to 4.5 this year, my opportunities to play league matches exploded. Balancing my work and family obligations with tennis had become a challenge. I was also faced with choosing which team to play for almost every weekend due to scheduling conflicts. As much as will miss the match play, it is almost a relief to have all that taken off my plate.

I’ll Be Back

I am nothing if not confident. My full expectation is that I will come out the back end of this injury better, stronger, and faster than ever. Or at least… less slow. I have been consoling myself by building a list of off-court training that can be performed without putting ill-advised pressure on my foot/ankle. Hello ab/core work.

Recently I have been making shirts and accessories with the Fiend at Court logo and slogans. When I went to the Doctor that ordered the MRI last Monday, I was wearing a “More Tennis is always the answer” shirt. And just like that, we have an exception to that foundational truth.

As a word of warning, suggestions that I might consider pickleball in the interim will be met with a whack from my crutches. I am still not ready for the devil’s short court, even in these trying times.

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Editorial Note: The break in play will allow me to finally pull the trigger on some long overdue structural changes to the website. I am going to start rolling those out later today and will write about those updates tomorrow.