Epidemiology and Factors Influencing Davis Cup Retirements Over the Past Twenty Years.
Martí Casals, Jordi Cortés, Daniel Llenderrozos and 4 others
PMID 39502537WHAT IT FOUND
Retirements occurred in 3.2% of Davis Cup singles matches.
Risk was highest on hard courts, in best-of-five-set matches, and during the final two matches of a tie. Lower extremity muscle and tendon injuries were the most common reason for stopping play.
Key findings
01The overall incidence of retirement was 1.05 per 1000 games, with significantly higher rates on hard courts and in best-of-five-set formats compared to other surfaces and shorter matches.
02Players in the fourth match of a tie had more than double the risk of retirement compared to those in the first match, with an incidence rate ratio of 2.10.
03Among retirements where the cause was known, lower extremity injuries involving muscle or tendon tissue were the most frequent, accounting for 63% and 54% of cases respectively.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Information on the specific reason for retirement was missing for 61.3% of cases, limiting the analysis of injury mechanisms and types. The study relied on publicly available data and did not include detailed clinical documentation of how injuries were assessed or their severity during the matches. As an observational study, it identifies associations between match conditions and retirement rates but cannot determine causation; factors like match duration and player fatigue may confound the relationship between surface type or match order and injury risk.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that hard courts or the fourth match of a tie cause injuries directly. The study shows an association, but the higher retirement rates in these scenarios may be influenced by unmeasured factors such as cumulative fatigue, match duration, or specific player strategies rather than the surface or match order alone.