Real Tennis Players - Like You! - Asking For, and Offering, Advice on the Sport They Love
Player to Player is USTA.com’s bi-weekly feature in which everyday tennis players are given a forum to ask advice on the sport they love – and their fellow players will dish out advice. Each week, we’ll post a number of the best responses we receive to our question of the week. Please send any questions you’d like answered or responses to other player’s questions to
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Last week’s question from Marlon P. of Birmingham, ALI am 6' 3" and 250 lbs. I have competed in football, basketball, boxing and have run a few 5K's, but I’m still a bit overweight for my height. Does anyone have any match-day tennis nutritional tips they can share? Should I be carb loading the night prior, drinking Gatorade after my match rather than during, etc.? I cannot stomach any fruits, so I am open to all suggestions.
READER RESPONSES
Dedric W. of Houston, TX
I am a 3.0 player who is studying to become a registered dietitian. It is important to be well fueled and hydrated before, during and after your match. The easiest indicator of your hydration status is to look at the color of your urine. Your urine should be pale yellow or clear. If it has a dark color, you are dehydrated.
Assuming your match is in the morning, eat a high carbohydrate dinner and drink extra fluids on the day before your match. High carbohydrate foods include potatoes, rice, breads and pastas. Sweet potatoes, brown rice and whole grain breads and pastas are more nutritionally dense, so they might be better choices. Yogurt, beans, lentils, legumes and tomato-based sauces like marinara or spaghetti sauce are also good high carbohydrate foods.
It is important to eat two to three hours before your match, but be sure to eat things that are easily digestible. A light breakfast that you are familiar with is a good choice. Energy bars, sports bars and fruit smoothies, if you can tolerate them, are also good breakfast choices. During the match, consume sports drinks, energy bars, sports bars and gels, fig bars, cookies, graham crackers or pretzels. Be sure to drink water with the solid foods during your match, too, so that they are easily digested.
It is very important to eat a high carbohydrate meal as soon as possible after your match. High carbohydrate meal choices can include foods previously listed for the dinner on the day before your match. Seafood, poultry or roast beef can be added to before and after match meals to provide protein for building and repairing muscle. Also, be sure to rehydrate with water and sports drinks after your match. Soups, and if you can tolerate them, fruit juices or watery foods, such as watermelon and grapes, are very good choices to help with rehydration.
Since you can't stomach fruits, you could be deficient in some important vitamins or minerals. Therefore, I recommend you take a multivitamin supplement, even on days that you don't play tennis.
Sarah of Acton, MAI don't think you need to go crazy with the carb loading the night before a match. Eat a sensible, well-rounded meal, and get a good night's sleep. Gatorade is great if it is really hot, but remember it contains a lot of sugar. I also eat bananas, nuts and peanut butter sandwiches on hot days. If the heat is extreme, start hydrating before you play -- dehydration can cause severe cramping through the calves and hamstrings.
Phil M. of Houston, TX
On match day, if you are successful, you might play two or three matches, and your nutrition needs change from match to match. About two hours before the first match of the day, eat proteins and carbs (i.e., two eggs, toast and/or potatoes). Don't do the grease (bacon or sausage), caffeine or any carbonated beverage. I would also take a multivitamin with your breakfast, as it rounds everything out. Stick with water during the match. You can have some Gatorade, but not too much.
If you win and have to play another match within two hours, your body doesn't really have time to digest a full lunch. Since you can't stomach fruit, and that's too bad because bananas are great for this situation, you need something already broken down like a protein/carb shake (a smoothie is perfect) and lots of water. During the second match, you should increase the sports drink a bit more than just water. If you ever have to play a third match, eat a power bar or whatever your stomach can take at this point.
Jan S. of Middletown OH
I always have peanut butter on whole grain toast before a match. I have tried many things, but this works best for me. The carbohydrate loading the night before only seems to be of benefit if you have a very early match the next day.
Andy J. of Vernon, ALI have found it’s best to have a good meal the night before a match. I use a steamer for fresh veggies and add either chicken or fish. Scallops, tuna and salmon steaks are also really good. I add okra, summer squash, mushrooms, Vidalia onions and snow peas. Put everything in a steamer for 30-45 minutes, or if you use a grill, put the veggies in aluminum foil with a little bit of olive oil and seasoning. Italian dressing works fine for the scallops. The cooking time for the veggies on a medium temperature grill is the same, but the fish only needs 15 minutes. Also, lay off the caffeine -- try crystal light in water instead.
If you play before lunch, get out your blender about 1.5 hours beforehand. Use a cup of fat free milk, two scoops of a high quality protein shake mix, a little flax seed and some ice. If you did like fruit, you could also add a banana and frozen strawberries or peaches to the shake. Have a protein bar about 30 minutes before you play with some water. I sip water through the first set and a sports drink through the rest of the match.
Helen Y. of Denver, CO
I'm a small woman in my 30s with a tendency toward the shakes when not well fed, so game-day eating has become a bit ritualistic for me. Here's what I eat, although you may need to adapt it for a person of your size. The day before a match I eat a hearty dinner so I'm not too hungry when I wake up and drink a lot of water.
Evening Match: For league matches, I eat breakfast (cereal with berries and nuts) and the same meal for lunch each week -- a Qdoba chicken burrito with black beans rice, salsa and guacamole. Around 4 p.m. I have a nutrition bar and a piece of fruit. Canned pineapple is a favorite, as it has the added benefit of having anti-inflammatory properties. Substitute half a Gatorade, a glass of juice or a yogurt for the fruit.
Morning Match: Two hours before match time, my breakfast is a bowl of real oatmeal with added protein powder, blueberries and almonds on top. Another option is almond butter and jam on hearty wheat bread. About 30 minutes after the match, I eat a big lunch, like a Qdoba burrito
During the Match: Drink Gatorade or a similar drink throughout, along with lots of water.
Wendy W. of Thousand Oaks, CA
I hydrate the day and night before a match. I have tried eating an energy bar right before a match, and it does give instant energy, but I found myself feeling sluggish about an hour later. Now I make sure I eat a meal several hours before, and if I need extra energy during a match, I eat a banana. The banana does not seem to have the sugar burn-out that the energy bars do.
Next week’s question from S. Manda:
I have my different coaches contradicting each other on this: Is it necessary to keep your elbow down on your serve until the appropriate time, or is it okay to raise your elbow immediately as you toss the ball?
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