It’s a balmy weekend afternoon and you’ve just finished a great game of doubles tennis.
You and your partner are ecstatic to be in the club finals next weekend.
As you walk up to the net to shake hands, you are already picturing yourself in that comfy armchair over at the clubhouse, spinning yarns with your partner and other guests over a cold beer.
Now that’s a perfect way to wrap up a day of great tennis.
Or is it?
In fact, this is one of the worst post-match “routines” one could opt for.
What you shouldn’t do after a tennis match
A lot of recreational tennis players finish the game and just go home.
They don’t look after their body which has worked so hard just a moment ago.
No warm-down or stretching – they just leave the court and get on with their day, leaving the muscles tight.
Later at the clubhouse many would grab a beer after the match, which is a big no-no for two main reasons that we will discuss later.
Enjoying their drink they banter about the highlights of their game, politics, weather, TV and a myriad of other topics, instead of reflecting and analysing the priceless match data.
This data could have been used to extract actionable items to incorporate into their physical or mental training to improve their game, but hey, the latest TV series is more exciting to talk about.
After the big 30 I started noticing tight muscles after matches, but did nothing about it.
In my twenties I have never even thought about stretching before and after the game.
One day I turned up to a Saturday morning match but went back home before it even started.
My lower back started hurting all of a sudden, as if Chuck Norris had roundhouse kicked me.
I couldn’t play for two months (you can imagine what that felt like for someone who absolutely loves tennis).
I went through a course of acupuncture, cupping, deep tissue massage and physiotherapy.
That helped with the recovery, but I knew I could do better in the future and recover well after each game.
I studied how to look after the muscles properly so this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.
The physio gave me stretches and my dad recommended I take a magnesium supplement to help relax tight muscles.
I followed the advice of both and still swear by it today.
Another super useful element I added was the self-debrief after the match.
Post-match debrief has helped me distill what I need to improve, and this alone has elevated my game significantly over the last few years.
For example, here’s my 1-hour training drill for recreational players that will improve your game without rigorous training regimes.
Post-match tennis rituals for perfect recovery
Following a few tried and tested post-match principles will help you immensely both on and off the court.
Stretching your body after the game will ensure you’re well fit for the next match and can play at your best (read: enjoy tennis and win more matches).
Giving yourself good fuel after physical exercise will help you recover quicker and feel much better the next day.
Reflecting on the game (whether a win or a loss) will help you find 20% of things to work on to improve 80% of your tennis.
This post-match system is in chronological order – the first point is most relevant directly after the game, while the further actions will be most useful later in the day.
1. No Alcohol After The Match
This point is so important that it receives its own section, instead of being crammed in the Nutrition section later on.
During intense physical exercise our body uses a lot of fuel and water, as well as sustaining some amount of damage.
This damage needs to be repaired and the resource storage needs to be replenished post exercise.
Unfortunately, alcohol inhibits both of these recovery aspects.
Firstly, alcohol messes around with your hormone production and gets in the way of specific hormones responsible for repairing muscle damage.
Secondly, it dehydrates you further, instead of replenishing vital fluids after physical activity.
Lastly, drinking directly affects the quality of sleep, further inhibiting the post-exercise recovery processes in your body.
The best (and most boring) option here is just plenty of water to rehydrate yourself.
If you really want a beer with your mates after the match, nobody can stop you, although try to go for a no/low alcohol option instead (these days there are plenty of alcohol free craft beers that don’t taste like donkey urine).
Otherwise, catch up with your friends for a cold one a few hours after tennis when you have recovered and rested.
2. Warm-Down Properly
Honestly, not many people talk about the importance of warm-down in recreational tennis.
They think it is reserved for professional players that go all-out during their games and simply isn’t required at club level.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
A good warm-down routine is vital for optimal muscle health on (and more importantly) off court, in your daily life.
Here is a quick post-match routine that will stretch out and free up those tired, tense muscles for optimal recovery.
This stuff works!
My own routine is very similar to one in this video, with extra focus on specific areas like lower back and ankles.
A warm-down stretch is best done within an hour of finishing the game for best effect, however doing it later that day will also be very helpful for your muscles and joints.
3. Do A Self-Debrief
As I wrote in The Winning Mindset For Club Tennis guide, you’re not just a tennis player – a scientist collecting data.
Analysing this data is one of the best ways to improve your tennis game, and it is free!
Here are some targeted questions to ask yourself after the game, in order to make sense of the data collected by your brain as memory of events.
- What did you learn during the match about yourself?
- What was your physical state during the game?
- What was your mental state during the game?
- What was your most common mistake?
- Was that mistake forced, unforced or caused by the environment (e.g. sun in the eyes, strong wind).
- If the mistake was unforced or due to the environment, what caused it and how can you remove that cause next time?
- If the mistake was forced, how did your opponent force it?
- What are their strengths and weaknesses to keep in mind for the next time you play each other?
Some would think to themselves “Why bother with match analysis if I won?”.
Well, this works exactly the same way if you would have lost – what led you to winning?
You won for a specific reason (or an array of reasons), so see if you can take advantage of that next time (e.g. double-down on what works).
If you just had a frustrating loss and don’t want to think about tennis right now – that’s totally understandable.
Do the self-debrief a day or so later, this is still invaluable data to analyse and take advantage of.
4. Eat A Balanced Meal
As we discussed earlier, a lot of fuel is used during vigorous physical activity.
These micro and macro nutrients need to be topped up in order for our body to fully recover from the exercise.
Eating a well-balanced meal after your tennis match is the best way to do so.
The most important macro nutrients to replenish are carbohydrates and protein.
I’m not a nutritionist or a chef (although I love cooking) so I won’t bombard you with a ton of recipes.
You’re fully capable of preparing (or choosing) a great meal for yourself knowing your tastes and dietary preferences.
Just remember these handy guidelines when preparing your optimal post-match meal:
- Eating 20-40 grams of protein after exercise seems to be the best amount to maximise our ability to recover [1, 2]
- Optimal ratio of carbs to protein is 3 to 1, so if you choose to have 30 grams of protein you should aim for 90 grams of carbs for best recovery [3, 4]
- It is best to have this meal within several hours of playing tennis because glycogen (energy stored in our muscles) synthesis is highest during this window [5]
Following these simple tips will ensure you get the best fuel for recovery and really thank your body for doing all the good work.
5. Get Your Magnesium
This micro nutrient is your personal Clark Kent, especially if you experience the usual symptoms of being over 30 (like tight muscles, sore back and so on).
As a side note, Magnesium plays a vital role in many body functions, such as regulation of nerve and muscle function, blood pressure and production of protein.
The National Institute of Health recommends a daily intake of around 400 mg for men and 300 mg for women.
Although we do get some of it from foods like leafy greens, grains and legumes, an average adult is likely to miss the mark of recommended daily intake.
In addition to that, Magnesium is heavily used during intense physical activity and needs to be replenished.
The best way to ensure you get enough of it is to take a daily supplement.
I’m not a nutritionist and don’t sell supplements, but what works well for me are daily capsules with 500-700 mg of Magnesium, taken after the game (I feel sleepy if taken before the game).
This relieves sore muscles that were hard at work during the game.
A 2019 study showed that one week of Magnesium supplements lowered muscle soreness in recreational runners. [6]
If you don’t know what brand of supplements to get – just do a quick search online to find a good local brand.
At the end of the day all that matters is that you get enough Magnesium every day to supplement your active lifestyle and fully recover after tennis.
Wrapping Up
Today we learned a post-match system that will ensure you’re well recovered.
We covered both physical (diet, nutrition, supplements, stretching) and mental (self-debrief) aspects of this system.
At a recreational level, this will give you an amazing advantage over 90% of other players – most people in our club just go home or have a beer after the game.
The whole point of it is to improve your tennis, win more matches, and sustainably enjoy this fun sport.
What helps you recover after the game? Do you have your own post-match rituals? What supplements would you recommend?
References
[1] Tipton KD, Ferrando AA, Phillips SM, Doyle D Jr, Wolfe RR. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. Am J Physiol. 1999 Apr;276(4):E628-34. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.1999.276.4.E628. PMID: 10198297. Available from: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.1999.276.4.E628
[2] Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ. Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Jan 29;10(1):5. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-5. PMID: 23360586; PMCID: PMC3577439. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5
[3] Ivy JL, Goforth HW Jr, Damon BM, McCauley TR, Parsons EC, Price TB. Early postexercise muscle glycogen recovery is enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2002 Oct;93(4):1337-44. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00394.2002. PMID: 12235033. Available from: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00394.2002
[4] Zawadzki KM, Yaspelkis BB 3rd, Ivy JL. Carbohydrate-protein complex increases the rate of muscle glycogen storage after exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1992 May;72(5):1854-9. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1992.72.5.1854. PMID: 1601794. Available from: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1992.72.5.1854
[5] Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon A, Wilborn C, Urbina SL, Hayward SE, Krieger J. Pre- versus post-exercise protein intake has similar effects on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. 2017 Jan 3;5:e2825. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2825. Erratum in: PeerJ. 2017 Aug 1;5: PMID: 28070459; PMCID: PMC5214805. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5214805/
[6] Steward CJ, Zhou Y, Keane G, Cook MD, Liu Y, Cullen T. One week of magnesium supplementation lowers IL-6, muscle soreness and increases post-exercise blood glucose in response to downhill running. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019 Dec;119(11-12):2617-2627. doi: 10.1007/s00421-019-04238-y. Epub 2019 Oct 17. PMID: 31624951. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-019-04238-y