Part 1 - The performance problem - ‘the tennis tour’ from a physical performance perspective

Professional tennis for me, is like no other sport. Having worked in a number of sports including international hockey, sprinting, rugby, football & rowing, each with their own individual intricacies, the combination and vast array of variables that tennis players and staff have to manage each day, stands the sport in its own lane.  

Much like in any other sport, with adoring fans, sponsors and the media wanting and expecting to see players consistently perform, the pressure on these individuals is immense and relentless in nature. Whereas most sports know their season and therefore the majority of their scheduled opponents, are able to plan the week leading into a competitive match as well as the subsequent week, know their match date, time and location, know their arrival and departure date, know training times...tennis does not, and herein lies the 'Performance Problem'. With so many variables present, many of which are out of a players control and all potentially detracting from an 'optimal performance environment', players, coaches and support staff must firstly identify these performance detractors and subsequently implement strategies to reduce their potential impact. Whilst working within the varied constraints, the primary goal is to create the best possible environment, from which players can go out and perform on the match-court.  

Performance Detractors – The Major Players  

Travel 

Due to the global appeal of tennis, the WTA, ATP & ITF tours all require extensive travel, that can see players on a week-to-week basis travel thousands of miles, crossing time-zones, playing in different conditions and on different surfaces. The demands of the tour mean that players are consistently having to travel, however, with travel itself not typically being conducive to recovery or performance, this should be a major consideration for support staff. So how can this be addressed? Examples include managing travel fatigue through pre-, during- and post-flight strategies, jet-lag protocols including timing of flights, nutritional interventions and planning a best- and worst-case scenario for a competition calendar.

Within-Competition Schedules 

With the exception of Grand Slams and ATP/WTA 1000 events where singles players usually play on alternate days, the majority of tournaments usually require players to play on consecutive days, until they either win the tournament, or they lose. The obvious challenge this set-up presents is how do you allow your player to perform at their optimal level, day after day. Whilst evidently complex in nature, there are some fundamentals that can aid players in being able to thrive and not simply survive. This requires the careful balance of short-term performance and recovery vs the long-term athletic development of players to ensure they can not only last the match or competition week but are able to bring their best level across the full tournament year, and ultimately, over their career.  

Daily Scheduling  

Whereas most sports are well aware of their kick-off, push-back, first-pitch or tip-off time in advance, with the exception of the first match of the day on each court, tennis players do not. With the follow-on-system, players must be ready to go, and more importantly perform on conclusion of the prior scheduled match, which depending on the tournament could be a short 1-hour match, or a 4-hour 5-set match, presenting a multitude of possibilities. Alongside this, they may also fall victim to rain delays, which based on severity and length may mean players can be sat at the venue all day awaiting their match.

Although the consistent potential variability on timings on match days again highlight the need for players, coaches, and staff to demonstrate high levels of agility in their plans and actions, there must still be a plan and a thought process that guides any advice given. When is the right time for a player to warm-up? How does this look to ensure the player is primed for performance? Start too early and they will be waiting around. Start too late and you may not get everything done. When should a player be eating their last meal prior to the match? At what point is snack more appropriate? If players are choosing to utilise caffeine, when and how is this taken on? When is the most effective time for a coach to be giving any pre-match tactical information? Whilst some of the answers to these questions should be based on the scientific research, there remains a human element to everything, and the personal preference of the player and coach must be considered.

Match Duration

As I have touched on in the section above, in contrast to other sports, the duration of a tennis match is completely variable. Given that other sports are constrained by match a duration (e.g. football being a 90-minute match), due to the scoring system, tennis continues until there is a victor, and therefore can look very different match-to-match, again adding to the variability of the sport. Within the match itself, the fuelling strategy that players need should follow a clear process yet be adaptable based on the demands of the match. From a physical preparation perspective, due to the sport being a high-speed change of direction based sport, characterised by periods of high intensity actions and periods, that can be several hours in length, practitioners are required to develop a myriad of physical capabilities, to ensure the player is appropriately prepared for the modern-day demands of the sport.   

That’s it for Part 1. Part 2 will continue to examine further performance detractors including fatigue, injuries & support teams that highlight the realities of working on the road in professional tennis.