Under-eating tanks recovery, kills sleep and makes you slow on court. Target 200–300 kcal/day deficit only. You are an athlete in training.
Protein
2.0–2.2 g/kg · ~188–207g
Chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt, fish, cottage cheese. Protein shake post-session if needed.
Carbohydrates
3–4 g/kg training days
Oats, rice, sweet potato, fruit, sourdough. Time largest intake around sessions. Lower on rest days.
Fat
~1 g/kg · ~90g
Olive oil, avocado, nuts, oily fish. Salmon 3×/week minimum for omega-3 and joint health.
Hydration
3–3.5L / day
Water + electrolytes. 2% dehydration causes measurable performance drop. More on match days.
Match Day Timing
2–3 hrs Before
Oats + banana + eggs. Avoid high fat or fibre. Sip water from waking.
30 min Before
Small carb snack — banana or dates. Simple and familiar.
Recovery Window — Within 45 min
Protein + carbs immediately after. Greek yogurt + fruit, or chicken + rice. Peak adaptation window — don't skip it.
Supplements
💊
Creatine — 5g/day
Most evidence-backed supplement for your profile. Strength, power, recovery. Timing doesn't matter.
🌙
Magnesium Glycinate — 300–400mg PM
Sleep quality, cramps, nervous system recovery. High-impact for twice-a-day training.
☀️
Vitamin D3 + K2
Most are deficient at your latitude. Bone density, testosterone, immunity. Take with fat.
🐟
Omega-3 — 2–3g EPA/DHA
Joint health, inflammation, brain function. Important given your training load.
Recovery
Recover Like a Pro
Training breaks you down. Recovery is where you improve.
Sauna & Steam
🔥
Sauna
3–4×/wk
Post-gym. 15–20 min. Recovery, growth hormone, cardiovascular adaptation.
💨
Steam
2–3×/wk
Pre-tennis. 10–15 min. Joint mobility primer before court.
💪
Mon / Wed / Thu Post-Gym → Sauna
Already hot from training. Sauna extends the recovery signal. 15–20 min.
🎾
Sat AM Before Lesson → Steam
10 min as warm-up. Gets joints supple before your biggest tennis day.
☀️
Sun Post-Pilates → Sauna
Sets you up before the afternoon match with friends.
⚠️ Two Rules
Hydrate 500ml before every session. Don't sauna the night before a big match until adapted — it can disrupt sleep early on.
Sleep
😴 Your #1 Performance Drug
8 hours minimum. Consistent sleep/wake time. No sleep = no adaptation. Protect it like a training session.
📵 Screens Off by 9pm
Blue light tanks melatonin. Non-negotiable for twice-a-day training.
🌡️ Cool Room
18–20°C. Core temp must drop to trigger deep sleep.
Knee & Ankle — Topical Protocol
💊 Voltaren (Diclofenac)
A real anti-inflammatory — treats joint inflammation, not just masks it. Works cumulatively; consistency beats intensity.
🌅
Morning — after mobility
Rub into knees & ankles while warm. 2–3 min of real massage, not a smear. Clean dry skin.
🌙
Before bed — the key dose
Tissue repairs overnight. Anti-inflammatory present then accelerates it. No tight bandage right after.
📅
Week 1: twice daily, every day
Feel it by day 2–3, real difference day 5–7. Don't stop early. Then evenings only on tennis days.
🐯 Tiger Balm — Pre-Activity Only
Warming primer — drives blood flow before you load joints. Not a fix. Wears off after 60–90 min.
✅ 15–20 min before warm-up
Small amount into knees & ankles, then dynamic warm-up while it builds.
❌ Never at night
Warming irritates skin under sheets, disrupts sleep. Keep 1 hr from Voltaren.
🎾 Saturday Game-Day Sequence
Wake → Voltaren · before lesson → Tiger Balm + warm-up · gap → hydrate & walk · before club → Tiger Balm if stiff · bed → Voltaren.
🔑 The Real Fix
Niggles are usually a hip + ankle problem — the knee is the meat in the sandwich. Your daily ankle mobility + glute work is the long-term solution. 4–6 weeks. If it doesn't clear or there's sharp pain, see a sports physio.
Other Protocols
🔁
Contrast Therapy
After hard sessions: 1 min cold, 2 min warm, 3–4 rounds. Your pool makes this easy.
🧘
Box Breathing
4-4-4-4 for 5 min after intense sessions. Better recovery, sleep, and match composure.
The Why
The Plan, Explained
The principles and the long arc behind your daily work.
Account & Sync
Core Philosophy
⚡ Movement Quality First
Your greatest limiting factor is movement quality, not fitness. A stiff body transfers force poorly and gets injured. Every session improves movement or protects it.
🔄 Rotation is Your Engine
Power comes from the kinetic chain — ankles → hips → thoracic spine → shoulder. Your Pilates base is ideal; the gym loads it.
⚖️ Composition Follows the Plan
Don't chase weight loss. Train and eat well and 4–5 kg comes off in 12–14 weeks. Aggressive deficits kill court energy.
The Road — 0 → Sampras
Four months from movement foundations to playing real tennis. One 30-day phase at a time. Finish a phase to unlock the next.
1
FoundationIn progress
Find your feet
Movement quality, mobility, grooved patterns. Light loads, perfect reps. You can't load a pattern you don't own yet.
2
StrengthComing soon
Build the engine
Patterns are grooved — now add load. Heavier hinges, split squats, loaded carries. Composition starts shifting here.
3
PowerComing soon
Find your weapons
Strength exists — now make it fast. Med-ball throws, plyometrics, rotational speed. The bridge from strong in the gym to explosive on court.
4
GameComing soon
Play like you mean it
Stop training for tennis and start training as tennis. Less isolated gym work, more match play. It all comes together.
❌ Avoid in the Gym
Heavy barbell back squats · Bench press as a priority (restricts serve) · Training to failure near match day · Ignoring pain signals.
On-Court Development
🎾 Split Step
Every shot. Time to opponent contact. Turns explosiveness into court speed.
🎾 Unit Turn
Rotate shoulders + hips together early. Early turn = time.
📍 Recovery Position
Return to centre after every shot. A habit, not fitness.
🎯 Serve
Trophy position + leg drive before spin. 60% first serve = game changer.
📹 Video Your Lessons
What you think you're doing and what you're doing differ completely. Watch footage back Sunday — the cheapest coaching upgrade there is.
Ball Machine — Tenniix Basic
🤖 Your Solo Reps Engine
100 balls, dual-wheel spin, ~2-min setup, 18.7 lbs so it goes anywhere. Slots into Tuesday between your Wed & Sat lessons. The loop: lesson teaches it → machine drills it solo → next lesson refines it → matches test it.
🏃 Movement feeds
Alternate Baseline Balls to the corners so you move to every ball. Split step + recover to centre. Your movement-quality priority, drilled.
🎯 Groove one shot
Baseline + Top Spin to a single spot for the forehand unit turn. Dual wheels = real spin control, not topspin-only.
📲 Program the lesson weakness
9 shot types and 15 placement zones from the app. After each lesson, drill exactly what your coach flagged. 15 focused minutes beats an hour of random hitting.
⬆️ The Upgrade Worth Eyeing
The Pro's AI Vision Module unlocks Smart Training Mode — set a Recovery Zone and it only feeds the next ball once you've recovered to centre. That's your "reset after every shot" habit on autopilot. Not on the Basic, but it's a modular add-on later if the Tuesday sessions prove their worth.
⚠️ Still a Court Session
Warm up properly first — Tiger Balm + dynamic warm-up. It replaced Tuesday's swim, so it doesn't add load; it redirects it to higher-value technical work. Keep Friday's pool session for your aerobic base.
What Each Month Unlocks
1mo
Foundation — Movement Feels Different
Morning stiffness gone. Split step automatic. Patterns grooved and ready to load.