Would you like to serve 6-7 more aces per match? Studies prove going to sleep before 11pm and clocking an average of 9 hours per night can improve your serve accuracy dramatically.
In the world of tennis, where agility, precision, and strategy reign, the brain emerges as the most vital player on the court. The human brain is absolutely incredible it works day and night to keep us in top shape. It controls everything from our essential functions such as breathing, moving, to more advanced functions such as thinking, speaking, and playing tennis. In one step alone over 200 muscles are activated in order to move the body up and forward and guess who’s sending the signal for them to act; you know it, the brain!
You might think 9 hours of sleep seems like a lot, but these tennis champions serve as living testaments to the significance of sleep for tennis greatness. Venus Williams credits her 8-10 hours of nightly sleep as a cornerstone of her success. Up and coming, Holger Rune recently admitted he needs 9-13 hours of sleep in order to properly recover which makes sense since he’s so high intensity. Even Roger Federer, the ultimate GOAT, said he slept for 10-12 hours at night in order to compete at his optimal level. Take a cue from these greats, prioritize your sleep.
So we begin to notice the role of sleep in your game might be more important than you think.
On the tennis court we keep our brain in turbo mode all the time, since tennis is such a psychological game we’re basically playing a game of chess in motion. Running and hitting all while placing strategies in motion and countering your opponent’s attacks. The next time you’re on court I want you to notice, how many motions are in place in a point without you even noticing. As we train we adapt and motions become unconscious to us, but it doesn’t mean our brains aren’t functioning, we’re simply unaware of their labor. You’re set to return, your opponent serves, your eyes are following the direction of the ball, it’s going into your backhand, you immediately split step, take a step towards the backhand side, or more steps depending how wide the side serve is, take your racket back to swing and as you’re swinging you’re simultaneously exhaling or grunting. All this happens in less than a blink of the eye, can you imagine everything your brain does in a full 2 hour match?
The wear and tear we place on our bodies and brain as athletes isn’t the same as for non-athletes. So the question is, are we focusing enough on rest and recovery so we can continue to perform at our peak performance?
For tennis players, sleep deprivation diminishes the brain’s capabilities and destroys your on-court performance. Without enough sleep you’ll find yourself underperforming, your thought processes slow down, you struggle to make those crucial decisions on the court, and if you manage to make those decisions your reaction time is slower and we’re not even mentioning physical abilities here. Your mood definitely suffers as well, absolutely everything seems to rub you the wrong way, and a bad disposition won’t help you in practice or a match.
You see, the lack of sleep isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it’s a direct path to self destruction on the tennis court.
Players need to acknowledge sleep as part of their training regimen. Adequate sleep is more than rest; it’s a crucial recovery period, both mentally and psychologically. It’s possibly one of the easiest things you can do to boost your tennis level.
Need more convincing on how sleeping enough can make a difference in your game? Well I have two case studies that prove it.
The first study had 2 groups of high level varsity tennis players. Both groups were allowed no more than 5 hours of sleep and the following morning they were given 40 balls each to serve. How do you think this went, serve being the tennis stroke that requires the most precision and attention to detail? You guessed it, it went terribly. Serve accuracy decreased up to 50%. The second group is interesting because they had an additional condition, this group slept less than 5 hours just as the first group but they were given a caffeine drink 30 minutes prior to serving. In case you’re wondering if this is the magic cure to your poor sleeping habits, it’s not. This group performed just as poorly as group 1 with their serve accuracy also decreasing up to 50%.
The second case study tested the sleep theory in reverse instead sleep deprivation, what would happen if players slept a full 9 hours? This study was conducted during two weeks with college players, the first week players would maintain their normal sleep schedules, and the second week they had to sleep 9 hours every day. The stroke that saw the most progress was the serve which increased from 36% to 42%. You might think this is just 6%, but 6% is a huge improvement. In an average 2 set match we can serve up to 120 serves, a 6% increase would mean 7 aces more per match. I don’t know about you, but I would love to serve 7 more aces per match by improving my sleep habits.
It’s fascinating to note that in both studies the serve was used. The tennis serve is the perfect model of a complex task, since it’s both cognitively and physically challenging. It’s the tennis stroke that is most sensitive because it requires concentration, incentive, stability, awareness, coordination, motor learning and memory, strength, and perceptual awareness. Virtually every area of the brain is fired up while serving and all these various areas collaborate in order to achieve a desirable outcome.
Ok, so you’re finally convinced you need to sleep the right amount of hours. How do you optimize your sleep?
– The most important factor you can focus on is a sleep schedule, regularity is key. Going to bed and waking up at the same time will help you immensely.
– Regulate the room temperature. It’s a lot easier to fall asleep in cooler conditions than in hot conditions. Not freezing, but enough for you to need a blanket.
But coach what do I do if I go to bed and can’t sleep because I’m so nervous about my match the next day? We’re assuming you have already done your visualization and meditation and you’re mentally set for the next day yet your thoughts are still racing.
You’re going to do 3 things.
1. Assume a comfortable position in which you normally sleep.
2. You’re going to focus on your breath, taking long breaths in and out, with each breath focus on relaxing your body.
3. Clear your thoughts, allow your mind to only focus on your breathing and how your body feels as it starts relaxing.
As you lace up your tennis shoes and step onto the court, remember that your brain is the captain steering the ship of your performance. Until next time, keep swinging for excellence with a well-rested mind!