An injury does not only stop the body

An injury does not only affect the body, it can also affect how the athlete feels and thinks. Sadness, hopelessness, anger, frustration or worry can appear, above all because they cannot train or compete the way they used to.

For example, a footballer who gets injured right when they were playing well may think: "now I could lose my place", or "when I come back maybe I will not be the same". Those thoughts can affect their mood and their confidence.

The most common ones are frustration, sadness, anger, anxiety and fear. Impatience can also appear, because the athlete wants to recover quickly. On top of that, they may feel a little alone or apart from the team, because their teammates keep training while they are recovering.

An injury can make an athlete temporarily lose confidence. They may start asking themselves: "am I going to play the way I did before?".

Motivation can drop too, especially when recovery takes a long time. That is why setting small goals matters. Every small step helps bring motivation and confidence back.

It is completely normal to feel fear when the athlete goes back to training. The problem appears when that fear makes them play too worried or too tense.

For example, a footballer who injured their knee may avoid a play, or go into a challenge for the ball afraid. That can make them play tighter and perform below their usual level. That is why recovery does not end only when the body is ready: the mind also has to feel safe again.

The first thing is to talk about what is happening to them. Putting it into words is tool number one. Sharing what they feel openly, without judgement. Just expressing it already brings relief.

Another very important strategy is helping them focus on what they can control. They may not control how long the injury takes, but they do control following their rehabilitation, resting well, eating properly and keeping a good attitude.

And above all, listening to the athlete, giving them room to express anger, fear or frustration without feeling judged.

Above all, that they feel accompanied, that they have a team beside them. Making it clear that their job today is to recover. Being patient with the process and understanding that feeling frustrated or sad on some days is normal.

It is also important to stay connected with the team, to talk with people they trust, and not to compare themselves constantly with other athletes. And to try to see recovery as part of sport: an injury can be a hard stage, but it can also help you know yourself better and build mental strength.

"I had a groin injury that kept getting worse and I did not treat it well, to the point where it became grade three. I spent around six months fighting that injury. At one point I thought I would not come out of it. It also got to me that at the time Marcelo Rios was going through the same injury, and it pushed him into retirement. I had a bad time psychologically there, the anguish comes, you get a little depressed. But later, when you start to feel yourself recovering, your spirits go up."

"You are never going to come back from an injury without pain, or you can come back the same and you can come back better. But there is a psychological thing you have to beat. When you go into that first game, you have to manage to lose the fear. However realistic you make training, it is never going to be as real as the game. Sometimes it takes one, two, three games to pick up the rhythm. Some take longer, some less, but getting past that psychological limit is really important."

"You drift a little from your teammates, because you are out of the day to day on court and you spend more time with the physio and the doctor. But the encouraging word is always there. Family matters too. When you build a family, with your wife and your daughters, it is support that comes from affection, from lifting your spirits, and it motivates you because I have to be well for them. It gives you some fuel and some perspective to keep going."

"Take this as an obstacle, a challenge in your career. Athletes feed on challenges: training is a challenge, every game is a challenge. And when these injuries happen, that is a challenge too. You have to put all your energy into recovering. Good rest, good sleep, good food. Training is not only on the court: a high performance athlete lives every day as training."