Miami CC Day 9

Howdy. As Andrew B. wrote a few minutes ago (I'm subbing out his CC post with this one), I did post a  piece on Venus/Serena at Tennis.com  late-ish last night. I was all set to hit the ground running with some thoughts on Roger Federer this morning, but I had to deal with a medical issue. I thought that I'd experienced a bad reaction to some sort of insect bite last weekend in game-rich Andes, but the redness and rash became more pronounced here at the Sony-Ericsson Open. So I sucked it up and went to see the tournament doctor. His name is Dr. Rodolfo Cepero, MD, and it turns out he's been a lifetime reader of Tennis magazine. He took one look at my chest and said it was no bug bite -  I've got shingles.

Shingles? WTF? Don't worry - I'm not posting photos.

Doc told me that you get Shingles from stress, if you've had chicken pox when you were a kid. Stress? What the hail is so stressful about sitting around watching Venus Williams play with her food in the warm Florida sunshine, surrounded by the South Florida glitterati? But I guess this does explain why I've been feeling a little sluggish and out of sorts this week. Thankfully, the condition is mostly on my chest and middle-back, areas that nobody is likely to be checking out at least until I get back home. I'm not even sure I'd call this condition painful; who's got time for pain anyway? Mostly it's irritating, although the sluggishness is a drag.

Anyway Dr. Cepero gave me a guided tour of the medical facility here, and explained the tournament's medical agenda and infrastructure. It's impressive, and seeing it would give anyone a much clearer idea of how much basic support an event like this requires to exist. There's a full-time orthopedist on duty once play begins, as well as an internist (Doc Cepero), and at least two administrative assistants. In order to get into the office proper, I had to go through the women's training room - after one of the assistants checked to make sure there were no unclothed WTA icons lounginig around. As it happened, there were, so I had to wait a few minutes for Doc to come and lead me in - after making sure the coast was clear.  When he showed me the stand-up cabinet they keep stocked with over-the-counter remedies for needy players the item that caught my eye was package of multi-colored. . . Tums.

I learned a few things, including that nowadays even the dispensation of a a common antihistamine to a player suffering a mild bout of asthma calls for filling out reams and reams of paperwork, much of it then forwarded post-haste to WADA (the international anti-doping agency). And that common and seemingly benign practice of administering an IV drip to a de-hydrated and spent player is not as simple a practice as it once was. IV (intravenous)  adminstrations of the kind Novak Djokovic had the other day must now be documented and reported. "There's been some concern that players might use an IV drip and the various substances that they contain to speed recovery, rather than merely get them up and feeling good again. So let's say you're playing a guy tomorrow, and you both have long matches. Theoretically, taking an IV drip while he declines one gives you an unfair competitive advantage."

Thanks, Doc. Today I know more. I'm looking forward to watching 'Nando and Andy later this evening, but will post a few thoughts on Federer later this afternooon. Enjoy the tennis!

-- Pete