What is the best way to eat before, during and after a tennis match? We want to answer this question here and give you a few tips on how you can improve your performance on the court.
An appropriate diet can lead to noticeable improvements, whether you are a professional or amateur athlete. We have already discussed what healthy eating is elsewhere. Here we will focus on fitness for the match. Anyone who plays a lot of tennis has an increased energy requirement that needs to be met. According to experts, many drops in performance during a match are due to poor nutrition, which is why targeted eating and drinking should be part of match preparation.
What do I eat before the tennis match?
Tennis requires players to have strength, speed and stamina as well as the ability to concentrate - the body needs a lot of energy for this. Carbohydrates provide the body with this energy. Therefore,two to three hours before a tennis match, you shouldeat a light, carbohydrate-rich meal, such as a plate of pasta with a light sauce or fish with vegetables. Don't eat anything too heavy, as the digestive process tires the body. So it's better to save the steak and chips for another day.
If you are playing a longer tournament, it is worth consuming sufficient carbohydrates a few days beforehand. This is because the body can build up energy reserves and draw on them during intense exertion.
Drinking plenty of fluids is also important, of course, as the body loses a lot of fluid through sweating. To prevent a lack of fluids and electrolytes during the match, it is advisable to drink plenty of mineral water or fruit juice spritzers beforehand. If you feel thirsty during the match, it is already too late and you will no longer be able to perform at your best.
The right food for a tennis match
Your body and mind need to be fit and wide awake during a tennis match. A sufficient supply of energy is therefore extremely important. Above all, it is important to drink a lot, preferably at every changeover.
Ideally, mineral water or fruit juice spritzers and an electrolyte drink with one or two pinches of salt, depending on the ingredients. Drink the electrolyte drink first and then the water. The drinks should not be too cold, but at room temperature, as the body needs energy to warm up cold liquids in the stomach, which is then lacking in the match.
During the match, it is advisable to eat easily digestible food that is rich in carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. The good old banana contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, which prevents cramps, as well as carbohydrates, which the body only absorbs after two hours. That's why it's better to eat bananas before the match or only take one bite at a time when changing sides and chew them thoroughly to speed up the absorption process. This is why you used to see a lot more tennis pros eating bananas during breaks than you do today, because more effective sources of energy have become established. Novak Djokovic, for example, always eats a piece of date during a change of sides, and there is a good reason for this: dates, with their high content of carbohydrates, magnesium, iron and vitamin B, are an excellent sports food. Nuts are also suitable as a quick source of energy. Power gels are also very popular with professional tennis players, as they are ideal for a quick energy boost. Protein bars, on the other hand, often contain too much sugar and are therefore not recommended.
And after the tennis match?
The first thing to do is to replenish the body's fluid and mineral stores. So drink plenty, preferably mineral water. Juice spritzers and non-alcoholic wheat beer are also good. And if it has to be a “real” beer, then preferably wheat, because of its many nutrients. As the body uses up energy when breaking down alcohol, which it actually needs for regeneration, you could also dilute the wheat beer, for example with banana juice.
