World No.36 Eugenie Bouchard was set to return to action this week at the Wuhan Open until a late retirement on Sunday evening.
Bouchard was scheduled to play last week’s Toyko runner-up, Belinda Bencic, before withdrawing due to ‘ongoing concussion issues’. The withdrawl was confirmed in a statement.
“I travelled to Wuhan with the intention of playing. Unfortunately, my concussion symptoms came back during practice on Saturday and it would not be safe for me to go on court today,” Bouchard said in a statement.
The 21-year-old suffered the injury after slipping on the floor in the locker room at the US Open. The incident occurred late at night and the room was in darkness. The Canadian slipped backwards, hitting her elbow and the back of her head quite severely. Despite suffering the concussion three weeks ago, Bouchard is still troubled by it, but for how much longer?
A Concussion is defined as a short-lived loss of mental function that occurs after a blow or other injury to the head. It is one of the most common and less serious head injuries that occurs in sport. According to figures by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are up to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, every year in America.
Due to the fragility of the brain, returning to sport after suffering a concussion varies. The symptoms of a concussion usually resolve within weeks, but it varies for every person. The 21-year-old have suffered from migraine headaches, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, a very sore neck and some dizziness.
The long-term effects of a concussion could be devastating to a player’s career in extreme cases. Former Ireland rugby player Kevin McLaughlin and NFL player Adrian Coxson was forced to retire due to suffering from concussion.
Bouchard isn’t the first player to suffer from a concussion. During the 2010 US Open Victoria Azarenka collapsed on the court after suffering from mild concussion, which she sustained during the warm up to the match. In Azarenka’s case she returned to action a week later.
There is no indication as to when 21-year-old Bouchard will return to the sport as she closes out a problematic season. Currently the Canadian has a main draw win-loss of 12-17 and is yet to win a title in 2015.
