Tennis, like any other sport, can be quite exhausting and challenging. It tests a person’s stamina, expects them to be in top physical form, and have a sharp mind. So, it is no wonder that tennis players, budding, and professionals need to take care of their diet constantly.
If you are new to the world of tennis and you want to know what diet is right for budding, and professional tennis players, then read on. Here are a few handy tips you need to remember and implement.
Foods for a Healthy Tennis Diet
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. So, you should have a diet that helps you perform well on the court. An ideal diet would include proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. It should also have a nice balance of minerals and vitamins.
It would help if you focused more on having fresh and natural foods and avoiding junk food or processed foods. It is also smart to have a diet loaded with vegetables and fewer meats, and only moderate amounts of sugars.
You should have more foods loaded with Vitamin A as it will help your body fix micro-tears that occur in muscles and help make new white blood cells.
You can also depend on Vitamin C for muscle repair. Foods loaded with zinc are also a good option as they can help in better hand-eye coordination. You can count on animal proteins, nuts, beans, seeds, whole grains, and other such foods. Seeds like sunflower or pumpkin are a good bet.
Vitamin B should also be a key part of your diet as it can help you improve the reaction times. You should also have foods like different fish that contain DMAE, which positively affects the function of your neuro system. Examples of fish you can have include salmon, anchovies, and sardines.
What to Eat Before a Tennis Match?
Before the match, you need to fuel up on foods that can help you to stay energized. You should eat foods that are high in carbohydrates as they give you the energy you need during the match. The foods you have should be moderate in protein but low in fat content.
You can have options like oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta, low-calorie fruits, etc. Eat this meal at least two hours before the match, and please stay away from sugar if you don’t want an energy crash during the match.
What to Eat During a Tennis Match?
A tennis match can be quite exhausting for the body and mind. It leads to the depletion of glycogen. You can compensate for it and replenish glycogen by munching on a healthy snack like a banana. As matches often run long, dehydration is a risk.
It would help keep yourself hydrated by having a sports drink loaded with electrolytes and carbohydrates every 15 minutes.
What to Eat After a Tennis Match?
A tennis match can be quite exhausting and make you feel drained. A good bet in such a situation is to have a proper meal within 2 hours of the match. It would help if you depended on a meal that had complex carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables. To get them all, you can have brown rice with vegetables or whole wheat pasta with fish or chicken.
Customization is Essential
When it comes to tennis players, no diet works for all. It would be best if you customized your diet after talking to your tennis coach so that you can give your body what it needs.
Get Expert Advice!
Need more tips? Connect with Talalay Tennis. Run by Aaron Talalay, the founder, and CEO this brand offers exceptional tennis coaching for kids and adults alike. Aaron is a USPTA Certified Elite Professional with over 15 years of on-court experience and nine years of coaching experience.
Aaron was voted all-league two years in a row from his junior to senior year in high school. He won the Big Eight League Finals and then played college tennis for two years. Aaron currently coaches 40+ hours of private/ group tennis lessons per week in Corona, California, and is currently the Head Tennis Coach at a local high school in Riverside, California.
To know more about him or to set up an appointment with him, just click here.