To be a professional tennis player, fitness is the most crucial thing. Unlike cricket or football, it does not have any specific time period. The match can continue for any amount of time and to survive and play with high intensity, players need to maintain a high level of fitness otherwise they will suffer injuries or have to quit the match midway.
Most professional tennis players spend on average 6-8 hours per day, six days a week, training, playing, warning up, cooling down, messaging or refueling the body with the right nutrition.
1. Balance and structure
Balance is there prepared for success. And while it can be a juggling act, finding time to tick all the boxes is going to help you stay in form – think regular exercise, taking time out for a healthy, balanced diet.
Use a diary or a periodisation planner to find time to fit everything into your schedule and to make sure you’re not missing an important deadline or activity.
Having a plan with some structure and a routine helps the brain process what needs to be done and how you will go about doing it.
2. Diet
Tennis players need the essential fuel to ensure they are performing on their court to their optimal best, and this applies to you too:
Eat a balanced diet that hits all of the five food groups
Hydration – Water, water, water! It’s important to ensure you are drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water per day
Fill any nutritional gaps that you are not receiving through diet with supplementation
Always have a stash of snacks such as energy bars, fruit etc as an easy to grab source of energy on the go and before or after training.
3. Rest and recovery
When doing any type of physical activity, it’s important to allow the body to have plenty of rest and recovery time.
Sleep 8-10 hours per night. Your body recovers while you’re asleep, so making sure you get enough sleep each night is crucial to feel your best
Make time with friends and family for mental recovery
Meditation helps to clear the mind and promote mindfulness
Stretching a couple of times per week is beneficial
They book in for massages from time to time.
4. Physical training
It goes without saying that the fittest players are the hardest to beat. Professional players spend almost more time preparing their bodies in the gym than actually training on the court.
The tennis pro tries to mix it up. Variety is the key to working all aspects of fitness and to keep your mind in the game.
Long distance running
Short distance agility movement
Weight training for muscle strength/power
Yoga for flexibility
Pilates for core stabilisation
This is how they try to remain fit and avoid various injuries to have a smooth career.
