"William." Sampras called out nervously, but before he could finish his words, he couldn't help swallowing and his throat was very dry.
The doctor in front of us, William-Harris, is also an authority in Toronto. He is an old acquaintance of Sampras and Agassi. In the small circle of competitive sports, all the real professional authorities are well-known, and not limited to sports.
It was previously confirmed that Gawain was injured and the game was still in progress. Although he was unsure of the severity of the situation, Sampras still contacted Harris as soon as possible.
Tobias then called Harris to make an appointment, and after the press conference, they all headed to the hospital without stopping.
"Pete." Harris smiled and then looked at Agassi, "Andre, long time no see."
In a rare moment of relish, Agassi made a joke, "To be honest, I hope I never have to see you again."
Harris didn't mind. "I think the same as you. Fortunately, we don't need to meet again this time."
Obviously Harris also knew the point. Without too much greeting, he brought out the key point in one sentence. Sampras and Agassi felt a little relieved.
Harris then got to the point.
"We just did an MRI."
"Gawain's abdominal muscles were slightly strained, some muscle fibers were torn, and there was a wound of about two millimeters, but there was no obvious swelling or bleeding."
"Pete, Andre, you are both professional players, you should know the situation. This is a grade one strain. Conservative physical therapy is recommended."
“Generally speaking, physiological functions are not restricted, but the muscles at the site of injury will experience resistance contraction pain.”
"From Gawain's reaction, the situation is not serious, so he can finish the race today; but during the race, adrenaline often deceives the brain and relieves pain. After he relaxes, his muscles may swell. We need to observe further."
Muscle strain.
Sure enough, it was just as expected.
Strictly speaking, it is more serious than expected.
Sports muscle strains can be divided into three grades.
First degree strain, mild muscle damage.
Second degree strain means moderate muscle damage, 30% to 50% tearing of muscle fibers, extensive bleeding and even edema, obvious tenderness, and the muscle will still feel pain even when there is no resistance.
Grade three strain means severe muscle damage, more than 50% of muscle fibers are torn, the muscles lose their contraction function, and their physiological functions are also limited. It not only requires surgical sutures, but also long-term rehabilitation.
Overall, a first-degree strain is very, very minor.
But the key point is that even the mildest first-degree strain will still cause muscle fiber tearing, which is definitely not a problem that can be solved by taking two pills and drinking more water.
On the one hand, Pelt let out a long sigh of relief, because he knew that a first-degree strain did not require surgery or rehabilitation, and the situation was not that complicated. He believed that Gao Wen could complete this challenge.
On the other hand, Sampras, Agassi and Tobias exchanged glances because they all realized what this meant.
They were not in a hurry, nor did they ask Harris those amateur questions anxiously, but instead cast their eyes, and Harris naturally understood what they meant.
"If Gawain decides to continue to fight with an injury, that's not impossible."
"My advice is to watch tonight to see if there is any swelling in the muscles and then try to train them tomorrow morning."
"We will discuss the situation in detail then."
"If Gao Wen is ready to continue to play, we will use muscle tape to fix him, then there will be no problem. We will test him in the game and ensure that the medical staff are on standby at any time. That's all."
Injuries exist objectively, but they are not serious.
For professional players, it is almost impossible to be completely free of injuries, and playing with injuries is a common occurrence.
Harris is an expert on this.
After a brief pause, Harris continued to give his professional opinion.
“But we need to be careful.”
"Although it is a grade one strain, it is not serious, but generally speaking, we recommend two to four weeks of rest and recovery, combined with conservative treatment."
"The US Open is not far away. I know you have your own pressures and situations, so you still need to discuss within your team and make a decision. The most important thing is Gao Wen's own wishes."
To be precise, there is still a full half month left before the start of the US Open.
If you choose to withdraw from the Rogers Cup semi-finals, you can rest and recuperate.
First of all, there is no way to confirm that Gawain can recover within two weeks. After all, the doctor estimates that the recovery time is two to four weeks, or even longer.
Secondly, before coming to Toronto, Gao Wen rested for a whole month. He finally found some touch in Toronto, and then rested again. There was no time for adjustment and actual combat. He is about to start the defense journey. Putting aside the injuries, his condition and touch definitely need to be readjusted.
From the pressure of being the "defending champion" to the weaknesses exposed by the unexpected injury, Gao Wen may become the target of public criticism at that time.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
It’s difficult, extremely difficult.
If he chooses to continue in the Rogers Cup semi-finals, he will fight with an injury.
Of course, as Harris said, there is no problem with this. Just pay attention to protection. After all, all professional players do this.
But the question is, what kind of performance can be achieved with the injury, and whether it can be further improved? If the loss is accompanied by aggravation of the injury, it will be a real disaster.
Being conservative is a problem; taking risks is also a problem. No matter what choice you make, you will face a difficult and thorny problem.
Although Sampras and others had already anticipated that returning to New York to defend the title would certainly not be easy for the sophomore Gao Wen; however, the nightmare problem has now risen to the hell level, a whole notch higher, so unexpected that it is a bit laughable.
Harris, as a doctor, could not make decisions for Gawain. He gave his own opinions and judgments and stated the facts, and that was all.
"Pete, from the scans, it's not serious, but we all know that injuries have different reactions depending on the different physical conditions of different players."
"Some players have a very high tolerance for pain, some players recover very quickly, some players are very likely to get injured again, and some players are particularly weak in some parts but very strong in other parts."
"The specific situation still requires specific analysis."
"Whatever you decide, after a few days, when you've calmed down a bit, you can get a clearer result by doing another detailed scan."
Said a lot, but it seemed like said nothing.
But that’s all Harris suggests.
"Gawain, I wish you good luck and hope you can recover soon."
Harris appeared briefly, and then left, leaving the VIP room to Gawain and others.
Silence is spreading.
In the past year, everything went smoothly. They discussed and worked together, creating countless miracles step by step. But now, this is the first time they have encountered a setback, a difficulty, and a threshold, and here, differences of opinion may arise.
Can they continue to have a unified view?