Go Time

Is your body ready for the rigors of a tournament? Our three-week survival guide will have you primed to compete. Summer is tournament time. So whether it’s your club’s memberguest or the USTA regionals, you’re going to be playing more tennis than you’re used to—hopefully, anyway—in a short amount of time. How can you make sure your body is up to the challenge? We asked Bill Mountford, tennis director at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York, to give us a three-week prep plan. Three Weeks Before Incorporate intervals. Tennis is played in bursts, yet most of us get on the treadmill or bike and work at a steady pace. A better bet: intervals, three times a week. Start with a five-minute warm-up and do 20 to 30 minutes’ worth of intervals. Work hard for 30 seconds and recover by moving more slowly for 60 seconds. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. “Skip match play for now and focus on maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses,” Mountford says. If you have a fail-safe forehand, for example, do drills where you use it aggressively. Move around your backhand to attack as many forehands as possible, and when you’re forced to play a backhand, work on developing a sound rally pace with it, where you seldom miss. Watch the scale. “Don’t go on a crash diet,” Mountford says, “but if you’re a little overweight, eat healthfully so that a few weeks down the road you have less weight to carry around the court.” One Week Before Play out points. You’ve spent two weeks honing your skills; now you’re ready to put them into play. “You can play practice sets to put yourself in a live match situation,” Mountford says. “This is a good test of how you’ve progressed.” Stretch. Give yourself 10 minutes a day for a full-body stretch, even on days when you’re not playing. Eat well. Continue to eat nutritiously and drink at least two liters of water each day. Adequate hydration enables your muscles to function properly and helps you recover from hard exercise. Get enough sleep. Two nights before your first match, get a full night’s sleep. Some people need seven hours, some need nine. “The night before you play, nerves might keep you up, so put some ‘sleep hours’ in the bank,” Mountford says. The Day Before Pack your bag. Courtside essentials include a spare racquet (or two), overgrips, towel, sunscreen, wrist bands, an extra shirt, a hat, an extra pair of socks per match, water, and some snacks like dried fruit or an energy bar (make sure you bring something you’ve tolerated before to avoid an upset stomach). Early to bed, early to rise. Hit the sack early enough that you can wake up at least three hours before your first match. “Otherwise you’ll sleepwalk onto the court,” Mountford says. The Day Of Drink more. Three hours before a match, drink a little more water than usual— especially in warm weather—up until one hour before you play. And eat what works for you. “Some people load up on carbs, some prefer protein,” Mountford says. “Now isn’t the time to alter your regular eating habits.” Arrive early. You need some time to settle your nerves and soak in the environment. You want to avoid feeling rushed walking onto the court. Get the blood flowing. Do some dynamic stretching—jog in place and do lunges, torso twists, and arm rotations. Then try to hit for 15 minutes. “Some warmup hitting will let you find your rhythm before the match starts,” Mountford says. If you can’t hit, jump rope for a few minutes. As you start to perspire a little, your nerves should begin to dissipate.