After sustaining a heart attack at the age of 51, Todd Woodbridge has issued a warning. Despite enjoying a fit and healthy lifestyle, the 16-time doubles Grand Slam champion claimed it was a “wake-up call.”
Following the incident, he is now advising people to undergo health checkups. After returning home from covering the US Open and Laver Cup. Woodbridge disclosed that he had suffered a heart attack just seven days prior. Another prominent Australian athlete, Shane Warne, 52, died of a heart attack only a few months ago.
The veteran Wimbledon semifinalist also encouraged other middle-aged people to seek health exams, admitting the incident was a “wake-up call.”
“It was last Thursday, I tried to keep my routine having traveled to the US Open and London and I was just exercising and had chest pains and every symptom when you look up Google – full sweats and I felt awful,”
To the Herald, he spoke.
“I had a little heart episode that goes down as a mild heart attack which is a bit of a shock to me.”
The heart attack came as a surprise to the 51-year-old, who claims that his experience indicates.
“It can happen to anybody”.
The legendary former doubles player continued:
“I consider (I) lead a pretty good fit healthy lifestyle – I keep active, I eat well, I do all the right things, I enjoy doing that. It’s been a wake-up call to me to make sure I look after myself. If it can happen to me it shows that it can happen to anybody.”
“I’ve hit that age now where I need to make sure that I have regular testing, get to the doctors”- Todd Woodbridge
Woodbridge encourages people to get health checkups realizing his family’s sickness history put him at risk despite a healthy lifestyle.
“I’ve hit that age now where I need to make sure that I have regular testing, get to the doctors,”
The former expert said.
“I’d urge anybody out there coming off the last couple of years (of lockdowns), where we’ve gone, ‘Nah I’m OK, haven’t been to doctors, haven’t had check ups’, to ensure you get out there and do that. I’ve been fortunate enough to go and get all the tests and I’m OK. With good monitoring and a bit of mild medication moving forward, I’ll be fine.
“But what I did learn was how important hereditary genes are to your health and I am aware that both my mum and dad have had a few issues with needing some stents and my dad had very high cholesterol. If I take care of that I have the ability to be fine in the future. But if you don’t take care of that you are putting yourself at risk.”
Woodbridge reiterated his appeal for people to schedule health exams, adding:
“My advice is don’t put off what you’ve been planning to do.
Because I’d been planning to get my next bits of tests, we all lead a busy life and that becomes next month and then that becomes six months and you still haven’t done it and I was a bit guilty of that.
“The best part is I’m back up and running. I need to take it easy, I can’t do anything physical but I’m still able to do my general work.”
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