The Preparticipation Physical: The WTA Experience and Findings

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) requires that players have a periodic health evaluation (PHE) every 2 years similar to that proposed by the International Olympic Committee. The WTA philosophy behind the PHE is based on the goal of identifying persistent symptoms related to injury, illness, and emotional or dietary issues in our players allowing for the opportunity to improve those issues to progress player health and well-being longitudinally. The provider performing their section of the physical may counsel the player on various topics that may be identified during the evaluation. These physicals are predominately performed by the team of WTA medical advisors at two large tournaments. Otherwise the player may receive the evaluation by the tournament physician. The medical advisors then review all physicals. Each portion of the WTA PHE is described in this chapter. The components of the evaluation are medical, dermatologic, emotional health and safety, nutrition, orthopedic, and the tennis-specific screen.