When you train, your body undergoes intense stimulation. Muscles are engaged, joints work hard, and even your brain is active as you focus on each shot. As soon as the training session ends, an important phase begins: recovery! Your body compensates for the stress it was subjected to, preparing for the next workout.

However, many tennis players make these mistakes that can compromise the recovery phase…

Mistake 1: Skipping the Cool Down ❄️

You’ve just finished your training, and a second later, you’re already on the couch? Wrong! Give your body time to cool down slowly after the workout.

Tip:

Spend the last 5 minutes of your workout reducing your pace to lower your heart rate. Do some stretching exercises and loosen up your muscles, for example, with a foam roller. This way, you keep your muscles flexible and prevent the typical post-workout soreness.

Mistake 2: Not Drinking Enough 💧

Your body works efficiently and removes metabolic waste (like lactic acid produced during intense training) only if you drink enough. That’s why you should drink water or electrolyte drinks within two hours after training.

Important:

Drinking isn’t just important after the workout but throughout the day. This calculator will tell you how much water you should drink daily.

For every hour of physical activity, you should increase your intake like this:

  • 0.5 liters for moderate activity

  • 1 liter for intense activity

  • 1.5 liters for very intense activity

Mistake 3: Not Replenishing Glycogen Stores 🥗

During training, you use up energy, burn calories, and deplete your body’s resources, making your muscles, tendons, and ligaments work hard. It’s essential to replenish these stores as soon as possible; otherwise, your body won’t be able to recover, there will be no muscle growth, and injuries might occur in the future.

Good to know:

Even those playing to lose weight should eat after training. The metabolism needs to work hard to burn excess fat, but it also needs a “full tank” to avoid burning the muscles that ensure fat burning.

Mistake 4: Eating Everything You See 🍔🍟

Many tennis players overestimate how many calories they’ve burned during training or a match. If you indulge in sweets, chips, or even a beer afterward, you risk consuming many more calories than you actually burned. Both alcohol and sugar-rich foods delay the recovery process and provide your body with only empty calories, lacking nutrients.

Mistake 5: Not Taking Enough Breaks 🛌

When you train, your body undergoes stress, and only when you allow it a break can it recover and improve its abilities. Make sure you get enough sleep: usually, 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep are needed to recover from a workout, and if you can take a nap in the afternoon, even better!

What happens to your body if you don’t sleep enough?

Not only will your performance worsen, but you’ll also have a higher risk of injuries and muscle soreness.