Top 5 Post-Recovery Strategies Used by Tennis Players to Stay Fit

Explore the top 5 strategies used by tennis players to stay in action after long-drawn-out matches

Although tennis is hailed as one of the most popular and prominent sports throughout the world, the battles of tennis stalwarts to stay in action on and off the tennis court often goes unnoticed. The high-intensity matches, rapid blow movements across the court, repetitive strokes and harsh weather conditions often exhaust even the most reigning tennis players, resulting in dehydration, muscle soreness, fatigue and high levels of energy deficits.

Although tennis players deal with an array of odds on the court, it is mandatory for them to stay completely absorbed, since one miss on the court can dictate their fate on the tennis court, which is ruled by split-second decisions.

In order to stay active on the field even after battling the draconian conditions, tennis players often indulge themselves in numerous interesting and soothing post-recovery strategies after the long-drawn-out matches that help them in gearing up for the upcoming matches by retaining their physical and psychological health to a great extent.

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In this article we will take a look at the top five post-recovery strategies that are used by a majority of tennis players throughout the world as a part of their fitness regime.

Top 5 Post-Recovery Strategies Used by Tennis Players to Stay Fit

  1. Light Exercises for Active Recovery 

Top 5 Post-Recovery Strategies Used by Tennis Players to Stay Fit

While a lot of tennis players rely on the traditional passive recovery measures, a few of them deliberately choose to stick with the active post-match recovery strategies. The active recovery method involves the tennis players performing light exercises including cycling, jogging around or running on a stationed treadmill with half of their prime physical strength.

These light exercises greatly help tennis players get rid of the lactic acid that is produced in their body after playing intense matches. Additionally, these light exercises also help the tennis players with re-aligning their muscle fibers and retaining their physical endurance for the upcoming matches.

  1. Stretching

While you must have witnessed a lot of tennis players perform brief stretching exercises before hitting the tennis court, quite a lot of tennis players perform these light stretching moves even after concluding the matches as a part of their post-match recovery regime. In addition to improving muscle flexibility, these light stretches also help the tennis players to allow their muscles to go back to their original position and reduce pain and inflammation to a large extent.

In addition to the physical benefits, after the countless hard strokes on the tennis court, a few rounds of light stretching help the tennis players to achieve a calm and much more stable state of mind.

  1. Ice Bath 

Similar to other high intensity sports, including soccer and cricket, tennis also requires the players to rejuvenate their bodies and muscles after prolonged matches. A majority of professional tennis players indulge in taking ice baths right after their tedious matches as it helps them in flushing out lactic acid and healing the micro-tears of their muscles.

On an average, athletes from various sports, including tennis, take an ice bath for 15 to 20 minutes, to allow their muscles to go back to their original position without any pain or discomfort.

  1. Meditation 

While it’s of the utmost importance for tennis players to retain their physical strength and endurance after hours of draining themselves on the tennis court, it is equally important for them to retain their mental stability and calmness. In the past few decades, mental health has been enforced as a priority among the athletes hailing from diverse sports backgrounds.

Tennis is no exception. Numerous prominent tennis players around the world indulge themselves in peaceful meditation sessions that last for an average of 25–30 minutes and help them in speeding up their post-match recovery process and act as a catalyst for healing their inner self, fostering a stronger sense of emotional, physical and mental balance.

  1. Hydration and Diet

According to some of the most prominent dietitians and physiologists, athletes can not speed up their recovery timelines, regardless of whatever regime they might follow, if they overlook the levels of nutrition and hydration that their body requires after hours of intense training and on-field activities. According to medical reports and studies, a single match of tennis that lasts for 60 minutes can burn a total of 400–600 calories on average.

Therefore, it is considered mandatory for tennis players and other athletes to consume an appropriate amount of carbohydrates to replenish their energy levels. Additionally, the hours-long duration of matches can also lead to dehydration, which is why it is highly recommended for the athletes to consume adequate amounts of liquid in order to replenish their electrolytes.

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