TENNIS: THE ATHLETIC TRAINING RECOMMENDED TO ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULTS

The Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, one of the most prestigious professional tennis tournaments, have just ended: millions of fans were able to watch – there in person or on live TV – some spectacular performances by the world’s best tennis players and to celebrate the triumph of champion Novak Đoković.

Tennis therefore confirms once more its popularity as a greatly loved and followed sport and lots of people every year hit the courts all over Italy, racket in hand, ready to rocket the ball straight at their opponent. But what kind of athletic training is recommended to achieve the best results?

A general level of physical fitness needs to include strength, flexibility and endurance to support the considerable physical effort required to play a whole game, as well as excellent reflexes. Training therefore needs to be as complete as possible.

Let’s look together at some primary goals that all tennis players must set themselves to play their best game:

• Increasing endurance: running is particularly suitable, but also swimming, cycling and all sports in general that involve plenty of cardio and long-distance work.
• Increasing power: the classic exercises with or without weights, particularly those for the upper body and arms, are extremely useful for increasing muscle mass and gaining the strength needed to hit the ball powerfully and produce effects to surprise opponents.
• Increasing flexibility: no self-respecting athlete should ever underestimate the importance of stretching, both before and at the end of training sessions. Warming up the muscles sufficiently before games and stretching them afterwards helps you to play without the risk of injury and to relax the body after the considerable exertion it has just made. But that’s not all: regular stretching also helps you increase your flexibility and thus raise your playing performance by helping you to develop a supple and responsive physique.

Source: Gruppopesisti.it Sideaita.it