The post-Wimbledon offseason for many players has come to an end. It's time to see in the next couple of tournaments who has been putting in the hard work to bolster their chances for the U.S. Open, who's been recuperating or resting injured limbs and joints, and who's just been taking an extended holiday.
Okay, that last one won't apply to many, but the former certainly does. When we think of sports that are damaging to your health, what springs to mind? Football? Hockey? Extreme Pro bull riding? I think we can safely place the latter on that list. But why shouldn't tennis be on there? Yeah, sure it's non-contact and if your opponent punches you at the change of ends, they're in some serious trouble.
But playing tennis puts a lot of strain on your body, in so many different ways and places. Sometimes you glance across the courts and see someone so taped up with bandages they wouldn't look out of place in a remake of "The Mummy."
That being said, I'm sure players would rather have a little tape and be able to play than suffer an injury lay-off. After all, if a player doesn't play, the tour won't pay.
Injuries affect everyone from time to time. Roger Federer has been known to complain of back pain, Rafael Nadal's knees are infamous, and Novak Djokovic, well, what can be said about this man? He might be number one on tour now, but for a long while, he was a joke on tour for his exaggerated injuries and his all-too-frequent retirements.
With this all said, it seemed like an idea to make an inventory of what a tennis player needs in his arsenal today to stay on tour. Thinking of taking up a career in tennis? Because here's what you'll need (if you don't possess these qualities ... well, you're only human):
Let's start with the basics — even if you've got the physique of a Greek God, if your internal organs aren't up to scratch, you're not going to last long out there. What you need is an immune system ready to tackle anything. And when I say anything, I mean anything. As a pro on tour, you're traveling a lot, and with each country comes another disease or infection you hadn't heard of until you've caught it.
A tennis player needs feel no fear, especially when it comes to jabs. I said they needed a good immune system, which means plenty of jabs to keep them going. Not a fan of needles? Okay, just play the tournaments near where you live. Not sure how many of the pros decided that was the best option. Probably not many.
Traveling, well, it's a part of every player's routine, week in, week out. A fear of flying (or heights in general) is not an advisable quality if you want to make it to the big-time. Imperviousness to this fear is not a necessity, however. The dreadlocked warrior Dustin Brown spent several years traveling around Europe from tournament to tournament in a camper van. He said it was the best present his parents ever bought him.
Now that we've progressed beyond fears, phobias, and general illnesses, it's time to move on to a very important aspect of being a pro that I probably should have mentioned earlier. You need, and I mean need, to be good at playing tennis. A very high standard is the recommended amount.
Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams might have you believe that bulging biceps are a necessity if you're going to reach the top, but don't listen to them. Sure, strength isn't without its merits, but in the tennis world, the ability to generate power whilst retaining control is what you're really after.
What else do you need? Oh yes, a quick wit. Or at least a sense of humor. Or the ability to speak English fluently. Or even at all. Okay, so maybe you don't need those qualities, and believe me, many a player will take the liberty of not learning English, because let's face it, getting their game right is more important than getting their words right. It is a bit frustrating, though.
The ability to express yourself on court. Every player does it, in their own different way. In celebration, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga jumps around pointing at himself, Andrea Petkovic dances, and Mikhail Youzhny salutes the crowd. In frustration, Andy Murray shouts, Maria Sharapova screams, and nine times out of 10, Fernando Gonzalez will pulverize a racquet to smithereens. I'd advise to go with the other options. The Gonzalez approach can be costly.
What is it commentators are forever saying marks a good player? It's not their technique, their power, or their accuracy. It's their mental toughness. It's the ability to go out there and hit winners like there's no tomorrow when it's going well, and when it's not, to just keep getting that ball back and making it tricky for the person on the other side of the net.
You might not know this, but tennis players need a keen sense of smell. Like dogs, a good tennis player can smell fear, or at least weakness, and will pounce on it at the first opportunity, tearing open a wound and feasting on it. Might have taken the dog metaphor a little far there.
Whilst we're still talking about senses, each pro has hyper-sensitive taste buds. Victory tastes sweet; defeat tastes bitter. And the diet they stay on all year long, I couldn't comment on that, primarily because I don't have a nutritionist planning out my every meal to get the most out of my body. I'll just take a guess and say, even if it doesn't taste very nice, I'm sure the pros outweigh the cons.
Finally, what a player needs, almost more than anything, is determination. Without determination, they never have practiced day in, day out for years. Without determination, they wouldn't overcome adversity. Without determination, a pro tennis player becomes "that guy who comes along to the club on a Saturday."
So, if you'll forgive the rather crude damper there, would you have made it as a pro tennis player? I think we can all see now what kind of stuff a player is made of. And to sum up, every tennis player you've ever seen, or ever heard of on tour, is tough as nails.
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