Elevate Research · Oct 2026
Back on court isn’t the finish line.
01
The least-defined stage.
Current criteria don’t reliably show when a player is ready to perform at their old level.
02
A pass isn’t protection.
After knee surgery, standard return-to-sport tests didn’t predict who got injured again.
03
Progress the stress.
The final phases need what the sport throws at you: unpredictable movement, reacting, deciding fast.
04
Decide together.
Elite clubs return players in phases, agreed by player, coach and practitioners.
What it means for you
My support doesn’t stop when a player is cleared. It continues through the first tournaments back.
Eppinga et al., KSSTA 2026 · Romero-Padron et al., KSSTA 2026 · Rivarola et al., J ISAKOS 2026 · Hassan et al., Res Sports Med 2026