A remark on the paper by H. Alexander on Bennequin's problem (Q5961449)

A recent paper by \textit{H. Alexander} [Invent. Math. 125, No. 1, 135-148 (1996; Zbl 0853.32003)] contains the following result as its Theorem 2: Let \(X\subset{\mathbb{C}}^n\) be compact and let \(f\) be a non-constant \(H^\infty\)-disk with boundary in \(X\). If \(f\) has finite area, then \(f: D^o\backslash f^{-1}(X)\to \tilde{X}={\mathbb{C}}^n\backslash X\) is a proper map, where \(D^o\) is the open unit disk in \({\mathbb{C}}^n\). Noting that a mean-value type result implies the theorem if \(\tilde{X}\) is covered by open balls, the author proves the following more general result which also implies Alexander's theorem. Proposition: Let \(f\) be a map from the open unit disk in \({\mathbb{C}}\) into \({\mathbb{R}}^N\) and assume that (i) there exists a \(\delta>0\) such that \(\limsup_{r\to 1}|f(re^{i\theta})|\geq 1\) for almost every \(\theta\in(-\delta,+\delta)\); (ii) there exist a \(\lambda>0\) and a sequence \((z_p)\) in the unit disk such that \(z_p\to 1\) and \(|f(z_p)|\leq 1-\lambda\); (iii) \(\nabla f\) satisfies a mean value property (defined below). Then \(\int\int_{|z|<1}|\nabla f|^2=+\infty\). (A map \(g\) from the unit disk into \({\mathbb{R}}^N\) is said to satisfy a mean value property if and only if there exists a \(C>0\) such that, for every \(z\in{\mathbb{C}}\) with \(|z|<1\), and every \(\rho\in(0,1-|z|)\), we have \[ |g(z)|\geq{C\over{\pi\rho^2}}\int\int_{r<\rho}|g(z+re^{i\theta})|rdrd\theta. \]