The 35th edition of the Swiss Open Geneva is in full swing. This wheelchair tennis tournament takes place in Vessy: athletes from all over the world compete there until Saturday. This competition requires special supervision, from the team of physiotherapists to the maintenance of the wheelchairs.
Raphaël Gremion is the Swiss number 1 wheelchair tennis player. After a first match played in the morning, he made a brief visit to one of the tournament’s physiotherapists. As for all athletes, in a wheelchair as in the classic circuit, going under the hands of a physiotherapist helps a lot: “It’s especially useful following playing, we often have little pain in the arms, shoulders, because it’s still very busy, especially when you’re in a wheelchair So the arm of the racket is still very busy, and following games it’s always very nice to go to the physio to get a massage” explains the tennis player.
Athletes with specific issues
If some problems are the same for all athletes, wheelchair players also have some specificities: “Athletes when they come to see me it’s mainly for problems related to the shoulders or the elbows, which we find in general also among able-bodied players. The particularity is that there are a lot of demands on both arms, unlike an able-bodied person who will mainly play with one arm,” says Sophie Maire, physiotherapist at Physiothérapie La Colline. In addition to massaging the participants, Sophie must ensure the prevention of accidents. For some wheelchair players, the heat can represent a danger: “It is very hot this week, so the main action is to always have ice packs ready for paraplegics and quadriplegics who thermoregulate poorly. You often have to go and check that there is ice in the fridges to avoid any problem during the match, ”explains the caregiver.
The wheelchair, an indispensable companion
It’s not just the athletes who benefit from special attention: wheelchairs also need to be in perfect working order. The players have a chair dedicated solely to tennis, with very inclined wheels. And if an accident occurs during the match, we must act quickly to repair it: “We are warned by the head referee who asks us to intervene. Our intervention must not last more than 20 minutes for the entire match, otherwise there is a risk of elimination” explains Christian Stadlmayer, technician at Foyer Handical.
The Swiss Open Geneva continues until this weekend: the finals will take place on Saturday.