Fitness should be the mantra for the young Indian tennis players

Top Indian tennis players feel budding tennis players in India need to work on their fitness if they have to compete well with International tennis players.

Tennis is no longer a sport only for the elite, its gaining in popularity all over India. However, besides requiring good skills, tennis is also a physically demanding sport.

Rafael Nadal’s five-setter against Novak Djokovic in French Open lasted for four hours and 37 minutes (Nadal won). The match did affect his knees and he has not been the same since. However, the fact is that most top tennis players around the world have superhuman like fitness levels.

In contrast, Indian budding tennis players have a lot to improve on the fitness front.

In a Davis cup match, a young Indian tennis player suffered cramps and spasms in his entire body during an energy-sapping singles match that was played under hot and humid conditions.

What we lack here in India is expertise in fitness. Everybody does basic exercises and plays tennis, Mahesh Bhupati

Watch: Best Tennis fitness training exercises every tennis player should know

Ageless Tennis Star Leander Paes Shares His Fitness Secrets

Tennis is a game that requires tremendous strength and stamina. Most men in their thirties find it difficult to cope up with the younger players, although in doubles, they do manage to continue for a few more years.

But Indian tennis star ‘Leander Paes’ seems to be finding his peak form in his early forties.

While most athletes find it hard to be competitive in sport as they approach 40 and the majority have either hung up their equipment or show signs of decline, Paes appears to be hitting top form.

Leander Paes Fitness
Here’s how Leander trains to stay in top fitness.

My training starts six weeks before when I want to peak. Cardio, gym work to strengthen the upper body, the shoulders, forearm, wrists – so that I can hit three aces in a game, something I have not done in my whole career. Bike work for endurance and the legs. More specific the training, more potent the result. I wish I had this knowledge when I was 20,” says Paes.

“For me consistency of excellence is all about the lifestyle too. If you have a bad lifestyle it is not going to work. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel I’m just doing the same things over and over again. Working on specific muscles for specific reasons. It seems like magic when it comes through,” said Paes, whose dedication to fitness meant he has never consumed alcohol in his life.

Paes has cut down on the number of events he plays in. “I only play 16 tournaments a year now. My focus is on the big tournaments, the Grand Slams and the Olympics next year.”

Watch: Anand Amritraj talk about injuries, fitness and team chemistry

Roger Federer is still perfect, except for these two age-related weaknesses

A leading tennis research group reports that 37-year old Roger Federer is still perfect in most skills, except for these two weaknesses (which are age-related).

Federer still has incredible skills when it comes to things like killer instinct, rally craft, and serve. However, there are a few physical attributes that are lagging due to age, according to leading sports analysis Game Insight Group (GIG) – formed by Tennis Australia in partnership with Victoria University.

Here are Federer’s strength areas as reported by GIG:

Six time #AusOpen champion @rogerfederer changed his return tactics this year, but how have they changed over time? He’s moved back each year, averaging 0.5 m behind the baseline this year. That’s two feet deeper than where he was in 2016!@AustralianOpen #GameInsightGroup pic.twitter.com/WWEb5MPgpk

— Game Insight Group (@TennisAusGIG) January 21, 2019

And here are his weak areas:

Federer is let down by poor acceleration, which GIG rates as 35/100, and inferior foot speed, rated as 21/100. And the reason for this is age (he is 37 years old) which makes him a slower athlete than what he was when he won his first major.

Despite those challenges, he is still at the top of his game because of his other near-perfect skills.

And his greatest strength is his mind. “If you win as often – and for as long – as Federer has, it’s pretty clear that you can hold your nerve when it counts,” says GIG.

Federer is also at the top when it comes to his first serve and his forehand.
Federer also ranks highly when it comes to agility, repeated sprints, and match endurance, compared to other male players.

Martina Navratilova Fitness

Martina Navratilova was once asked, “How do you maintain your focus, physique and sharp game even at the age of 43?”.

She gave a humble reply, “The ball doesn’t know how old I am”. You need to stop yourself from stopping yourself. Every game in life is actually played on a 6-inch ground – the space between your two ears. We don’t live in bungalows, duplexes, or flats. We live in our mind which is an unlimited area. Life is great when things are sorted and uncluttered there. Keeping the mind messy with hatred growing on the table, regrets piling up in the corner, expectations boiling in the kitchen, secrets stuffed under the carpet, and worries littered everywhere ruin this real home.

Martina Navratilova – Fitness and Conditioning
The key factor to performing well in life and in every arena is the ability to control the quality and quantity of your “internal dialogue”. Performance is potential minus internal interference. Live in peace, not in pieces.