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The ten most notable sports injuries of 2017

• 1/10 Billy Vunipola- Rugby

  Saracens and England number eight Billy Vunipola had to withdraw from Warren Gatland’s British & Irish Lions squad because of a recurring problem with his shoulder, which required surgery. The full extent of Vunipola’s injury was later revealed by teammate Schalk Brits in a TV interview. Brits was quoted as saying that “Vunipola had been forced to pop his shoulder back in place himself several times during Saracens games earlier in the season”. It was a huge blow for the Lions, as Vunipola was forced to miss the Tour to New Zealand but it wasn’t all bad news... the British and Irish Lions rallied to their best performance on a Tour of New Zealand since 1971.

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• 2/10 Tiger Woods- Golf

  Tiger Woods' ailments have been well-documented over the last 20 years and 2017 was no different for the former world number one. Woods underwent back surgery in April - the fourth time he had undergone such a procedure during his career - in a bid to alleviate ongoing pain in his back and leg. He also had a damaged disc removed to prevent the nerve pain that had threatened to end his career. After 10 months out, Woods made a competitive return to action in November at the Hero World Classic, performing better than most of the golf world had perhaps expected. The signs, so far, seem encouraging but only time will tell whether Woods can return to anywhere near his best.

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• 3/10 Santi Cazorla- Football

  It’s been a year to forget for the Arsenal and Spain midfielder. After injuring his Achilles tendon in October 2016, the Arsenal star has undergone no fewer than eight surgeries on his Achilles. During his post-operative recovery, Cazorla contracted gangrene, which was so bad he almost had to have his foot amputated. He consequently had to have a skin graft to repair the damaged tissue and lost eight centimetres from his Achilles tendon. The Arsenal midfielder had been targeting a return to action early next year but the Spaniard has been forced to have a new operation.

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• 4/10 Deshaun Watson- American Football

  Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was enjoying a remarkable debut season in the National Football League, one which would have firmly put him in contention to win the MVP (Most Valued Player) accolade. That was until he tripped on turf during a practice session, tearing his ACL, bringing his season to a premature end. Up until that point, the Texans were flying. In the seven games that Watson started before the injury struck, he recording record numbers - completing nearly 62% of his passes for 1,699 yards as well as 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. In the seven games since Watson got injured, however, the Texans have only won once.

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• 5/10 Novak Djokovic- Tennis

  Former world number one and 12-time Grand Slam champion; Novak Djokovic was forced to cut his season short through injury in July when he retired, injured during the Wimbledon Quarter Finals. A troublesome elbow injury has kept Djokovic out of action ever since, with the Serbian opting to recuperate away from the court in a bid to ensure he returns for the Australian Open in January.

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• 6/10 Zlatan Ibrahimović- Football

  When 36-year-old Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimović was ruled out for seven months after rupturing his ACL in the Europa League tie against Anderlecht in April, there were fears that we may have seen the last of one of the game’s all-time greats. But in true Zlatan fashion, he returned to action ahead of schedule in November to defy the odds. Of course, “Lions don’t recover like humans”.

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• 7/10 Usain Bolt- Athletics

  In his career swansong at the IAAF World Championships in London in August, all eyes were on Usain Bolt as he looked to bring down the curtain on his glittering career with another gold medal. However, it wasn’t the fairy-tale ending that he and everyone inside the stadium had been hoping for. Instead it was heartbreak for the Jamaican sprinter as he pulled up during the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay. Bolt fell to the ground holding his left hamstring. Although he was visibly in pain, the all-time great waved away the offer of a wheelchair and managed to cross the finish line.

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• 8/10 Rafael Nadal- Tennis

  Despite enjoying one of his best ever seasons - winning both the French Open and US Open titles – Nadal this year yet again succumbed to the injury curse. It was an all too familiar sight when the 16-time Grand Slam champion had to pull out of the ATP World Tour Finals following a knee injury, an injury which has continued to plague his career in recent years. Despite qualifying for the season-ending finals for 13 years on the bounce, this year was the sixth time during that period that the Spaniard has either had to pull out mid-tournament or has not been able to take part at all. Despite winning everything there is to win in the game, the ATP World Tour Finals remains one of the only titles that Nadal has failed to win.

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• 9/10 David Haye- Boxing

  David Haye suffered a somewhat unusual injury this year, in what was described as a “freak accident”. Haye tripped on stairs during one of his workouts and was forced to delay his scheduled rematch with Tony Bellew as a result. Even though he was rumoured to be carrying an injury already, Haye insisted he had a flawless training camp and was in the shape of his life before the injury occurred. The rescheduled rematch has been rearranged for May 5th 2018... let’s just hope the injury curse doesn’t strike again.

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• 10/10 Dina Asher Smith- Athletics

  In a cruel turn of events, the 22-year-old sprinter broke her foot in the final training session before the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix in February. “What are the odds!” she tweeted after landing awkwardly on her foot, causing a fracture. Her recovery, though, was worth its weight in silver, as Asher-Smith was part of the 4x100m relay team which came second at the London World Championships in August.

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