They might make it look easy on the court, but being a professional tennis player is hard work.
And while training six days a week for 48 weeks of the year might not be for everyone, there is something the everyday athlete can learn from the pro’s approach.
Speaking to FEMAIL, world-renowned tennis coach and Blackmores partner, Marc Sophoulis, shared what you can learn from the elite tennis players – and how you can implement small changes into your day-to-day life.
Speaking to FEMAIL, world-renowned tennis coach and Blackmores partner, Marc Sophoulis (pictured), shared what you can learn from the elite tennis players
Marc has trained both Arina Rodionova (left) and Anastasia Rodionova (right) – he said it is as much about balance as it is about training
1. Balance
According to Marc – who has worked with the likes of Australian players, Anastasia and Arina Rodionova – balance is an important part of many of our lives, but for pro tennis players ‘is it crucial to ensure they are ticking all the boxes’.
Marc recommends his clients find time for everything, from mindfulness to diet to finding time to cover off all aspects of the game – whether they be ‘technical, tactical, physical, mental or nutritional’.
The trainer’s take home tip for the rest of us is to ‘use a diary or planner to find time to fit everything into your schedule and ensure you’re not missing it’.
‘Having a plan with some structure and a routine helps the brain to process what needs to be done and how you will go about doing it,’ he said.
The trainer’s (pictured) take home tip is that we should all ‘use a diary or planner to find time to fit everything in’ – and make sure you make time for mindfulness and relaxation
If you’re looking to eat like a tennis pro (pictured: Tomas Berdych), then think about the five food groups and supplement if there’s something you’re fussy about eating
2. Diet
If you’re looking to eat like a tennis star, you’ll need to start seeing food as fuel:
‘Because they work so hard, they need to think about the five food groups,’ Marc said.
‘Then, hydration is important, as well as supplementation to fill nutritional gaps, recovery powders and having a stash of energy bars and fruit, which serve as easy to grab sources of energy during training.’
Look to incorporate a balanced diet into your daily regime, and eat plenty of vegetables filled with colour for optimum health.
Your skin, hair and nails will also benefit.
The trainer said that sleep is paramount for everyone – and especially tennis players, who he advises get between eight and ten hours a night (pictured: Anastasia Rodionova)
‘Try meditation to help to clear the mind and stretch for 45 minutes each day, either via yoga or at home,’ Marc said (pictured: Wu Di, one of Marc’s clients)
3. Rest and recovery
‘Without the required rest and recovery, the ability to back up performances is impossible and therefore hard to sustain,’ Marc said.
But even if you’ve not just won Wimbledon, you’ll feel the positives from a bit more sleep.
‘Sleep 8-10 hours per night, as your body recovers while you’re asleep,’ Marc said – adding that ice baths are also hugely helpful after endurance sports.
‘Try meditation to help to clear the mind and stretch for 45 minutes each day, either via yoga or at home.’
Tennis stars (pictured: Arina Rodionova) keep up with their fitness often by practising different sports – including weight training, yoga and Pilates
4. Physical training
While you might think that tennis players spend all of their time on the court, in fact a diverse approach to training and what you do can be beneficial:
‘Some of the ways that tennis pros keep up with their fitness and ensure their whole bodies are in tip top shape for matches include long-distance running, short-distance agility movement, weight training, yoga and Pilates,’ Marc said.
If all of this sounds a bit much to you, try mixing up just one or two of the approaches above – and doing them once a week.
Marc Sophoulis has partnered with Blackmores, an official sponsor of the Australian Open. For more information, please click here.