Welcome Rob. Hope your pain is manageable. I have arthritis in two other joints as well so I have had a Rx for Tramadol since 2009. It works excellent on my knee pain, but did not do much for the hip pain. They did give me a RX for hydrocodone after surgery. I still have half a bottle. I just don't like being goofy(r) I guess. It did nothing for the pain, but made me feel pretty good.
I take 1000 mg of Tylenol with my half-Tramadol in the am, then a Mobic and one aspirin with breakfast. I find that the more bicycle riding I do, the less pain I have overall, everywhere. So here's hoping you get back on the court, soon! Occasionally, I will take another 1000 mg of Tylenol in the evening if the barometer drops.
My physician and my peers have no issues with me taking one-Tramadol a day on a long term basis. I have an acquaintance with RA who takes three a day.
Everybody is different, and has different pain thresholds. I ran 700 miles in 2012 with bone-on-bone in my left hip and two arthritic knees. I can take the knee pain, the hip pain did me in. Giving up running was tough. I still run in my dreams.
So, pain management is a personal choice. My spouse, and my physician are all OK with the way I manage my pain. So find a happy medium and get back on the court. Get on with life and be happy. If you have to take pills, so what? There is a large difference between needing medication and abusing it.