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What? When? And how much?

All tennis players must try to avoid dehydration, if you are thirsty it is probably too late, even slight dehydration will affect your performance. A good guide to whether you are drinking enough is the colour of your urine; it should always be straw coloured and plentiful.

Fluid is lost during exercise mainly through sweating, how much is dependent on things such as:

• Temperature
• Sweat rate
• Current hydration
• Humidity
• Exercise intensity
• Clothing

What to Drink

During training/competition fluids have two roles to play

1. To prevent dehydration
2. To provide energy (through carbohydrate intake)

Isotonic sports drinks are an effective way of providing you with the ideal amount of carbohydrate (about 6-8%) without preventing the fluid being absorbed.

Drinks with too much sugar in such as Coke/Pepsi or ordinary Lucozade will stop the body from being able to use the fluid and could lead to dehydration.

You can buy Isotonic sports drinks or they can be made at home.

Home-made Isotonic Sports Drinks

Using fruit juice
Mix 500 mls of unsweetened fruit juice (e.g. orange, apple, pineapple) with 500 mls of water and add 1 gram (or a pinch) of salt.

Using squash
Mix 200-250 mls of squash with 750-800 mls of water and add 1 gram (or a pinch) of salt.

The salt is not to replace salt losses, but to help the body to absorb the water.

When and how much to drink

• Start drinking first thing in the morning and well before training/competition
• 2 hours before you play drink 600-900 mls (1-1.5 pints or 4-6 small cups) of fluid
• About 15-20 minutes before you play drink another 300-600 mls (0.5-1 pint or 2-4 small cups)
• During play drink continually, about 150-200 mls (1 small cup) every 15 minutes is ideal
• Avoid fizzy drinks, tea and coffee
• When you have finished playing continue to drink throughout the day and evening