When we talk about high-performance sports training today, we must bear in mind that it consists of 4 fundamental points: 1.-training, 2.-rest, 3.-nutrition and 4.-supplementation.
Today we refer to nutrition in tennis players, something that is not taken into account or respected, especially during his youth stage.
Nowadays, it is essential for coaches to understand the different strategies available in nutritional manipulation for injury prevention and competition benefits. Considering that the fastest source of energy is muscle glycogen, we must emphasize the intake of complex carbohydrates (CC), which allow muscle glycogen to be replenished for a longer period of time than simple CCs (such as sweets). Simple CCs can be used immediately after exercise or a competition, as they allow for a sharp increase in insulin levels, thereby allowing for the beginning of muscle glycogen replenishment. It is important to keep in mind that glycogen depletion (emptying) occurs after 2 hours of exercise, and that matches often double this time, putting athletes at greater risk of physical problems. Therefore, it is essential to hydrate with isotonic drinks (ideal for replacing these losses) and, if possible, consume rapidly assimilated carbohydrates (simple CCs).
While we recognize the importance of carbohydrate intake, we cannot ignore the importance of protein foods, especially post-competition, whose importance lies in the recomposition of muscle tissue, which is logically always damaged after a competition. Likewise, the combination of foods containing protein and carbohydrates effect a faster glycogen recomposition.
Another important point to highlight is breakfast, which will allow the tennis player to maintain blood sugar levels during morning training sessions. Physical exercise requires certain blood sugar levels that the athlete must maintain to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). If training sessions are divided into more than two morning sessions, with the first session being very early, breakfast should be divided into two stages: one before and one after the first training session. Breakfast should preferably contain fructose (fruit sugar), which is the first sugar consumed during sleep (liver glycogen).
There are glycogen loading procedures that are beneficial during competition. One procedure is as follows:
During the week prior to the competition, a mixed diet with a CH load of 60-70% is consumed for the first two days of the week, then the load is increased to 75% for the remaining days until the competition.
A second procedure consists of the first two days of a mixed diet with 60-70% of CH, on the third day of the week a strenuous training is carried out in order to carry out a glycogen depletion and then ingest on the following days a 75% of CH, thus increasing the glycogen loads even more.
The third procedure is that on the first two days 60-70% of CH are consumed, on the third day an intense exercise is performed producing a glycogen depletion, the following two days fats and proteins are consumed and on the sixth day 85% of CH is consumed achieving double the previous procedures in terms of glycogen recharge, but although this procedure is effective in certain cases it can produce hypoglycemia and risk of injuries on days 4 and 5, so precautions must be taken and if possible plan to reduce training loads to 50% on those days.
Fruit juices, cereals, pasta, meats, especially those from the hindquarters (less adipose tissue), chicken, vegetables, brown rice, potatoes, chocolate milk, among others, are effective in replenishing glycogen.
Without a doubt, nutrition is a factor that truly deserves to be highlighted and taken into account, both in the daily life of every individual and in the life of a tennis player, in the stages leading up to a competition, where we must adjust and take advantage of all kinds of details to generate benefits and reduce the risk of injury during the competition.