Tennis and weight management

• Add thirty minutes of continuous rally drills before games; a wall or ball machine can help. See Training.
• Keep moving during ball collection instead of letting every pause become a long rest.
• If you mainly play doubles, try a singles session once a week.
• A short jog before and after play can add activity, adjusted to your fitness.

An example week is three tennis sessions of thirty minutes of drills plus sixty minutes of games, and two strength sessions on non-court days. A gradual target is around 0.5 kg per week rather than a crash plan.

Stopping, jumping and changing direction impose substantial loads on the knees. If you are carrying extra weight, start with lower-intensity drills or mini tennis rather than very demanding matches.

Use suitable cushioned shoes, avoid back-to-back hard-court overload and adjust intensity when knee or ankle pain appears. See Injury & recovery.

Exercise supports fitness; food intake plays a major role in an energy deficit. Include protein at meals; 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight daily is a general training reference. Avoid extreme carbohydrate restriction around demanding play.

• A large meal and alcohol after tennis can easily exceed the energy used during the session. Plan dinner beforehand.
• Sports drinks add sugar and calories; water may be sufficient for light sessions under an hour.
• Do not begin a demanding match hungry or dizzy; a light snack such as a banana is an option.

Read Nutrition for meal timing and recovery.