Top-class tennis is one of the most grueling sports around, requiring players to possess extremely high levels of skill, speed, and endurance.
Sports science has revolutionized tennis in recent years, helping many of its stars stay in the upper echelons of the world rankings for far longer than was previously the case.
Nutrition contributes significantly towards athletic performance in the modern era, providing players with the fuel they need to perform to the best of their ability.
A proper diet for tennis players requires plenty of planning, particularly when it comes to the times that they consume meals during the season.
A balanced nutrient intake prior to matches is hugely important while ensuring that post-match consumption is suitably structured is also key to recovery.
With players under increasing pressure to perform at their best to deliver fair results for tennis betting fans, getting their nutrition right has never been more important.
Read on as we look at a trio of players who have dominated men’s tennis during the 21st century and assess how their diet has helped them stay at the top of the sport.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic discovered around a decade ago that he had a severe gluten allergy and he has had to tailor his diet in order to be able to compete at the highest level.
The Serbian was forced to act after feeling exhausted during games, with breathing problems, vomiting, blurred vision, and an inability to handle heat amongst the symptoms he showed.
With the help of a respected nutritionist, Dr. Igor Cetojevic, he eliminated the dangerous foods from his diet and immediately began to feel the benefit.
He now focuses on eating nutritious plant-based foods that provide fuel, energy, and plenty of protein – a switch that has clearly paid huge dividends.
“Dr. Igor reached out to some friends we had in common and they reached out to my parents and, when I met him, I did a couple of sessions and I felt really a big difference,” said Djokovic.
“That was when I got used to biofeedback. He had all this analysis and overview of my emotional body and physical body and we started slowly taking off layer by layer and going into things related to my health, and of course, the diet was one of the most integral parts of it.”
Roger Federer
With 20 Grand Slams under his belt, it is fair to say that Roger Federer knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful in tennis.
The Swiss star was a vegetarian by choice during his early years and did not add meat into his diet until he started attending tennis camps as a teenager.
Federer now has a fixed pre-match diet of pasta with a very light sauce which has served him extremely well during his hugely successful career.
However, he also extols the virtues of mixing things up by treating himself to recipes that contain more sinful foods when circumstances allow him to do so.
“I can eat biscuits and everything, have fondue and everything, no problems, deserts ten days in a row,” Federer said.
“It’s a good thing to work out and to eat healthy though. That’s what I do. I never have to be too careful. I think when it gets dangerous is when you get injured.
“You can’t practice as much and all that stuff and you keep on eating the same amount, which you usually eat because that’s what you kind of need to be able to perform well.
Rafael Nadal
Nadal’s food intake is a balanced mix of nutrients that helps him to stay in shape, with seafood being the core element that his diet is based upon.
The Spaniard’s efforts have clearly paid off, with his tally of 19 Grand Slams just one short of Federer’s and two ahead of Djokovic.
While Nadal eats healthily during the season, he does match Federer in indulging his passion for naughty foods when the opportunity arises.
The 34-year-old has a passion for rich foods such as paella and chocolate products but admits that he steers clear of one particular fattening foodstuff.
“I don’t eat cheese,” he said. “I never eat cheese all my life. I don’t like it. The meat – I eat meat when I want to eat meat. I have nothing against the meat. I prefer fish. That’s all.
“I don’t have big problems with my diet. I eat what I want to eat. And of course, the diet is important for life and to stay healthy.
“I have a very normal diet. No, nothing really special. Just trying to eat more or less healthy, especially when I am on the tour. But when I am on holidays, when I am at home, I eat normally.”