Written by: Katie Gross, Dietetic Intern
Nutritional Demands For Tennis Players
Tennis requires athletes to utilize a plethora of different skills including endurance, agility, power and repeated energy bursts. Tennis players use both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems to fuel themselves during their matches and throughout their entire competition day. The stop-and-go nature required high energy needs met with proper nutrition for each athlete to maintain optimal performance. Often tennis matches take place inside or in hot, humid environments which can cause an excess of sweat-loss therefore decreasing performance if not properly hydrated.
Nutrition plans for athletes should always be individualized per specific needs. Tennis players should focus on consuming energy providing foods such as whole grains, beans, peas and other complex carbohydrates. Athletes should also focus on consuming lean sources of protein such as chicken, turkey, nuts, fish, eggs and dairy as well as fueling fats such as olive oil, sunflower oil and avocado. A diet filled with color from fruits and vegetables helps to provide you with nourishing vitamins and minerals to aid in basic functions and can help increase your focus, coordination and recovery during matches.
Importance of Hydration
Hydration can often be overlooked. Thirst is not always a determinant of hydration status and consuming adequate fluids should be a top priority daily. A 1-2% decrease in hydration status has been seen to lead to significant decrease in performance and increases in perceived fatigue, motor function and coordination. Dehydration during tennis matches can ultimately lead to an increase in cardiovascular strain, glycogen use, altered metabolism and central nervous system function and an increased risk in heat illness. Salt plays an important part in hydration status. Packing salty snacks such as pretzels with you during competition days may help you replenish electrolytes lost during competition.
How much should you be drinking? Dividing your body weight in half should provide the minimum amount of fluid (ounces) needed per day to maintain normal body functions. How much fluid you need may depend more on your sweat rate. After your tennis matches, aim to replace lost water weight with carbohydrate drinks (~20 oz) containing 6-8% carbohydrate per pound loss.
Factors to consider with hydration include:
- Training status and intensity
- Hydration beverages
- Temperature and humidity
- Environments
Some ways to prevent dehydration include:
- Knowing how much sweat you are losing. Sweat loss depends on many different factors- understand how each factor affects your losses during competition
- Carry a water bottle throughout the day to remind yourself to meet your goals
- Keep electrolyte containing powders or drinks nearby on match days to replenish as needed
- Fuel yourself while on the court with gulps of water intermittently
Fuel Early and Often
Breakfast provides an essential baseline of fuel on any day of training or competition. Consuming food early in the day halts the catabolism that occurs overnight when food is not consumed and allows you to gain energy for any early morning activity. With tennis especially, breakfast might be your only time to fuel yourself with a balanced meal before starting the day’s competition. Though snacks (fruits, chews, fruit snacks, trail mix and granola bars) should be kept on the court for frequent fueling, relying on these without a solid fuel foundation is not sustainable.
Aim to consume adequate protein throughout the day by including a lean protein source with every meal and a protein snack in-between. The maximize muscle repair, the CPSDA recommends consuming 20-25 grams of protein every 3-4 hours for tennis’s players. Think: one piece of chicken breast (3 oz or a deck of cards) is about 23 grams of protein.
Not hungry in the morning? Your body can be trained leading up to competition days to tolerate any fluid or food. Starting with smaller meals or fluids such as shake’s or smoothies can help your body recognize breakfast as essential for fueling your day. Remember, tennis is a highly demanding sport that requires focus, energy and coordination for the entirety of your event.
Fueling does not start the day of competition- focus on well-balanced meals and snacks with hydration every day!
Tennis Match Day Example Timeline (first match @ 9AM; second match @ 12PM)
Breakfast (2-3 hours before first match) 7AM- include fat, carbohydrate and protein
Greek yogurt with granola, mixed berries
Oatmeal with dried fruit, chopped nuts
Scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, avocado, cheese
Whole grain toast, avocado spread, over-easy egg, fresh fruit
Consume at least 16-24 oz of water 2-3 hours before your first match
Top-off fuel right before match (fruit snack, fruit, Gatorade) – include carbohydrate
MATCH #1 @ 9AM: during match- hydration with water / electrolyte source (~8-12 oz of fluid during changes), granola bar, fruit snack
In-between Match #1 and Match #2 (30-60 min before)- include carbohydrate, protein
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Apple sauce with string cheese
Energy bar with water
Avoid consuming food items with fat to decrease the risk of gastrointestinal upset due to slow digestion during your match
MATCH #2 @ 12PM: during match- hydration with water / electrolyte source, (~8-12 oz of fluid during changes) granola bar, fruit snack
Recovery Snack-30-60 minutes post-match– include carbohydrate, protein
Chocolate milk
Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread
Greek yogurt with fresh fruit
Hummus with veggies, pita bread
Turkey jerky with orange slices
Peanut butter and apple slices
String cheese and trail mix
Recovery Meal- ~2-3 hours post-match- include fat, carbohydrate, protein
Chicken breast, broccoli, sweet potatoes
Brown rice, black beans, sofrito’s, fajita veggies, tomato salsa
Stuffed peppers with quinoa, mozzarella cheese
Panini with smoked turkey, chipotle mayo, dark leafy greens and sliced apples
Hydrate with ~32 oz of water or fluid 2-3 hours post final match
For any specific questions or concerns, please reach out to Dr. Schubert or see Information for traveling athletes, Volleyball Players , Roller Derby and (cheering for, very snarky) Ironman, and Factors affecting Hydration.
References and Resources:
USTA Sport Science. Heat and Hydration Concerns in Tennis Players. USTA. Accessed September 16th, 2022. https://www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/sections/texas/pdf/Sport%20Science.pdf
CPSDA. Nutrition for the Tennis Student-Athlete. CPSDA. Accessed September 16th, 2022.