As we near finals weekend at Wimbledon, it’s not just the unbroken spell of sunny weather that has had spectators sweating. Whilst tennis fans will have their own views on who will be this year’s champions but with the skills of all players so high, it could go either way.
What a championship it has been though!
“Each year Wimbledon just keeps getting better and better. It is an event that I wait for in anticipation, and the weather this year has just been perfect.”
Dr Basu
Cool-headed
Throughout all of the ups and downs, the tears and the triumphs and the soaring temperatures, the umpires have kept their cool as usual and among them is W27’s consultant radiologist, Dr Subhasis Basu.
Leaving aside the CT, MRI, X-rays and diagnostic MSK ultrasound procedures that normally constitute his working day, Dr Basu has taken up the role of umpire at Wimbledon for the 14thyear in a row.
He began his love affair with tennis as a player for Lancashire county before transitioning to become an umpire 18 years ago. Since that time he has officiated at ATP, WTA and Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the UK and around the world. However, the highlight for him is always Wimbledon.
Advice for want-to-be tennis players
Dr Basu will be hoping that the characteristic upsurge in the number of people playing tennis that follows Wimbledon each year will not be matched by an increase in tennis injuries. Tennis elbow, stress fractures, muscle sprains and shoulder injuries are all common amongst tennis players.
He has reiterated the advice to tennis players, both experienced and novice, to warm up properly with at least five minutes of stretches before playing, to invest in some proper coaching to develop good habits and to wear correct footwear and use the correct weight and size of racket.
Dr Basu is the consultant musculoskeletal and sports imaging radiologist at W27. He regularly publishes in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is a speaker at international health conferences and lectures.