Fuelling your training, your matches and everything in between
You’ve packed your racquet. Filled your drink bottle. Checked what time you’re playing.
But have you thought about what you’re going to eat?
When players think about improving their tennis, they usually think about coaching, technique, fitness or playing more matches. Food can become an afterthought. Something grabbed on the way to the courts, or dealt with once the tennis is finished.
Yet good preparation includes arriving with enough energy to play well.
Charlotte McLauchlan, a New Zealand Registered Dietitian and part of The Game team, helps players understand how nutrition supports their training, performance and recovery. She also offers individual consultations to tailor that advice to each player’s needs.
Here are some practical ways to make fuelling part of your tennis routine.
Start Before You Step on Court
A player heading straight from school to coaching has already had a busy day. Learning, concentrating, moving around and growing all require energy.
Training adds another demand.
That’s why what happens at breakfast, morning tea and lunch matters to the afternoon session. A snack five minutes before coaching cannot do all the work of meals missed earlier in the day.
Carbohydrates are an important fuel source for exercising muscles and the brain. Bread, rice, pasta, oats, potatoes, kūmara and fruit can all play a part.
The aim is to arrive fuelled and comfortable.
If you have a few hours before playing, there is time for a meal. Porridge with banana, eggs on toast or pasta with chicken or tofu are options.
Closer to the session, a smaller, familiar snack may sit better. A banana, toast with jam or a little dried fruit can be easier to manage than a large meal.
For early morning tennis, think ahead about something you can tolerate. If eating early is difficult, Charlotte suggests that a liquid option may help.
Longer Tennis Needs a Different Plan
There is a difference between a short coaching session and a long afternoon of training.
There is also a difference between one match and a tournament day with several matches.
As playing time increases, so does the need to think about fuel during the session. For longer sessions, carbohydrate snacks or drinks can help support energy levels.
In matches, changeovers provide an opportunity to eat and drink. Keep suitable food accessible in your bag, rather than discovering halfway through the second set that everything is still in the car.
A banana, dried fruit or another familiar carbohydrate option may be useful. Sports drinks and gels are options for some players, but the right approach depends on the player and the demands of the day.
Try your match-day food during training first.
A tournament is a poor time to discover that a new drink or snack doesn’t agree with your stomach.
Your Drink Bottle Is Part of Your Preparation
Have fluids available and drink regularly during play.
How much you need varies with the conditions, how long you are playing and how much you sweat. A short session on a cool morning presents different demands from a long match in summer.
Water is suitable for many ordinary training sessions. During prolonged play or hot conditions, some players may benefit from an individual hydration plan, including advice about electrolytes.
The useful habit is simple: arrive prepared, use your breaks and make sure you have enough fluid available for the day.
Recovery Starts After the Last Point
Once tennis finishes, it is easy to move straight to the next thing.
The drive home. Homework. Another activity. Or another match.
But recovery needs attention too.
Charlotte describes four parts of recovery:
- Refuel: carbohydrates to replace energy used.
- Repair: protein to support muscle recovery.
- Rehydrate: fluids to replace sweat losses.
- Revitalise: fruit and vegetables to provide vitamins and minerals.
If a meal is not practical soon after playing, a snack containing carbohydrate and protein is a useful start. Yoghurt with a banana, a sandwich or flavoured milk are examples.
You may not feel particularly hungry immediately after exercise. That doesn’t necessarily mean your body has everything it needs.
For tournament players, pack recovery food as carefully as you pack match food. What you eat between matches helps prepare you for the next one.
Match Your Food to Your Tennis
Your needs change with your workload.
Charlotte’s athlete plate model offers a starting point: include carbohydrates, protein, and fruit or vegetables, with a greater emphasis on carbohydrates as training becomes longer or harder.
These are guides, rather than fixed rules.
A developing junior, a social player and an athlete training twice a day will have different needs. Rest days also matter, because recovery continues after the exercise has finished.
For young players especially, food needs to support school, growth and everyday life alongside tennis.
Eating enough matters just as much as getting the balance right.
Make It a Habit
Good fuelling doesn’t need to begin with a complicated plan.
Start with regular meals. Pack something suitable before coaching. Take food for longer sessions. Have a recovery option ready afterwards.
Those small habits make nutrition part of your preparation, rather than something you have to think about when you’re already tired and hungry.
At The Game, we encourage players to take ownership of their preparation.
Knowing what time you’re playing is part of that.
Knowing how you’re going to fuel it should be too.
Individual Advice with Charlotte
As part of the team, Charlotte offers individual nutrition consultations to help players put these principles into practice.
Whether you’re supporting a growing junior, managing a busy tournament schedule or looking to get more from your own tennis, she can help tailor your fuelling to your needs, training and goals.
If you’re regularly feeling flat during sessions, struggling with recovery or unsure what to eat around tennis, an individual consultation is a useful place to start.
Get in touch with us to arrange a consultation with Charlotte.
Based on nutrition guidance by Charlotte McLauchlan, NZRD.
This article provides general information and does not replace individual medical or nutritional advice. Your needs may vary depending on your age, health, medical conditions, medications and training load. Seek advice from your doctor or a registered dietitian before making dietary changes, particularly if you have a medical condition or specific dietary requirements. Always follow the individual advice of your treating health professional.
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