How I Prepare Myself for Tennis Matches.

I’ve had a couple of weeks for rest and restoration in preparation for this last leg of tournaments for the year. I’ve been taking care of my body, my mind, and my spirit so that I can finish the year off strong and proud of my performance! I often get messages asking about my day-of-play essentials, so I thought it’s be cool to share some of the things on my to-do list when I arrive at a match-day. 

Proper Nutrition. The input determines the output. Nutrition is such an important part of being able to perform daily. I actually wrote an article about that a couple of weeks back: Sloane Progress Is Better Than No Progress: Changing My Nutritional Practices. It’s even more important when I know I’m going into a tournament, where I will be exerting more energy than I do on a regular everyday basis. The same way we pay attention to what grade of gas we put into our cars, I pay close attention to what grade of foods I put into my body, ESPECIALLY when I’m coming up on a tournament.

Carbs have been essential to both my performance and my recovery, and I’ve found that lean protein helps me keep my little ol’muscles strong (I usually save those protein heavy meals for after my matches). I like to decrease my sugar intake, eat foods that don’t weigh me down, and increase the fresh items that I’ve found keep me going, for at least, three-plus hours.

So, what does a pre-match meal look like for me? If I have an early morning match, my meal will most likely consist of two eggs, toast, bacon, and potatoes. If my matches are later in the day, that meal changes.

The movements I have to make on the court, those quick-short bursts that everyone loves, take a lot out of the tank! So, I make sure that I’m filled up with the proper foods before the match, refueling between sets, and listening to my body throughout to make the best nutritional decisions to help my performance.

Stretching. Preparing my body for battle is another necessary component in making sure that I’m able to perform at a high level, from start to finish. No matter how in shape I am or how much conditioning I’ve already done, I always stretch. As someone who has suffered from injury, it’s even more crucial that I take time to properly stretch and loosen up before each match. Whether it’s the lateral lunges or my hand walk, I always make sure that I’m “oiling” this machine, so that she’s ready to get on that court and work it without any hiccups.

Warm-Ups & Mobility Movements. I have to be able to move around the court during the games. The same way in which my nutrition dictates those short bursts of movements, so does my mobility. People who have never played tennis, don’t really recognize how taxing it is on the body! We are moving out there, honey! In order to make sure my muscles are warm, beyond just stretching, I like to do a lot of small-bursts movements rather than static warm-ups.

Sometimes I’ll jump a little rope, do some jumping jacks, run-through the motions I’ll be using during the game, butt-kicks (which some of you have seen me do before starting), high-knees, and of course, a mini-run-through if time and space permits.

Conditioning the Mind. For those of you who work out, play sports, or hell, just being at work or school, I’m sure you know that feeling of “It’s only been five minutes?", when your body and mind are feeling exhaustion. Learning how to coach myself through those moments has been necessary throughout my professional journey. Sometimes the mind is tired, when the body can keep going, but without that mental toughness your body will agree with your mind that it can’t keep going, even when it has the ability to push forward.

I do a lot of self-talk on the court. I’m constantly being kind to and encouraging myself leading up and throughout my matches. Some of the things I like to say to train my brain to believe it, so that my body will follow suit:

• Don’t Rush! Take your time.

• You got this!

• You can fix that!

• You know better than that!

• You’re still in it!

• You’re doing great, but you can do better!

• Move your feet, Sloane!

• I see the victory!

• I’m focused!

• I still got it!

• FOCUS!

• Breathe!

• This is my moment!

There are many more conversations I have with myself, but for the sake of time I kept this list short and digestible.

Optimistic Visualization. The more I win, the easier it is for me to visualize doing it again. But there are times when I fall short of victory or experience injury, and visualizing requires more practice and has to be filled with more intention.

Getting my mind and body on the same page has proven valuable. I’ve recently taken up meditation. My goal with that, is to be able to silence my mind for what I wish to focus on. Sometimes I’ll close my eyes and practice motions with my racquet, visualizing what perfect form and technique would look like. I’ll open my eyes and my mind has created such a perfect picture that I see myself in the mirror, performing in the exact way that I wished.

I’m working on translating that to my games, where I have the ability to close my eyes quickly, block out noise, refocus, and execute in the way I know I can and want to. I don't have as large of a window to do that in the game, which is why I continue practicing outside of the game, until it's something I've mastered to the point that ten seconds allows my mind to do what it once took ten minutes to do.

I'm even more reflective of how I was feeling and what I was doing when I won matches. And although I have to personalize matches, depending on my opponents, I can still take pieces of my performance and transfer them from match to match.

Visualization helps me to self-correct in the moment, removed mental blocks, and stay encouraged throughout the fight (whether I'm ahead or behind).

Proper Hydration! This is the holy grail of existence! Hydration is so important to overall wellness. I’m constantly filling my body with fluids; be it a sports drink or water I’m always replenishing what is lost when I sweat! Dehydration can negatively impact performance, skill and decision making. Most athletes have experienced the consequences of not properly hydrating during a workout or a game, at least one time in their lives. Believe me, all it takes is one time to learn that lesson forever.

Proper hydration delays the onset of fatigue. In a sport where my entire body is working, I’m sweating immediately, which means water is leaving my body. There is always water, sports drinks, gels, or fruit that have a lot of water available between sets to refuel when it’s time.

Dress to Kill. I absolutely love the fashion aspect of the game. I know pictures are going to be taken. I know I will be on people’s TV screens. I know I will be sweating up a storm. So, I want to at least show up looking fly. Putting on my tennis drip, to me, is equivalent to a superhero putting on his/her cape. When I’m dressed and take a look in the mirror, I feel like it’s “go time!”

That saying, “When you look good, you feel good,” is true for me when I step on the court. Who wouldn't want to feel good going to work?

Music. People will be so surprised by this. There are songs that get me hyped up, BUT I don’t like to go into a match that way anymore. I actually prefer not to listen to any music before I play.

If you listen to music, the way I listen to music, you know how emotional a song can make you feel. Many songs I listen to, are connected to a memory or a time that serves me nothing, thinking about it during a game. I’m at a place and space where I prefer a clear mind before a match. All of the forementioned practices, help me to focus and get ready just fine. It actually does for me, what other athletes say music does for them.

Prayer. I always take a moment to just give praise and thanks. There are so many blessings in my life; I feel it most when I’m preparing to play in front of my supporters. So, just asking to be covered during my match and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to perform at this level, with my mind and body in-tact, is always a must.

So that’s what my day-of-play essential list consists of; nothing super fancy, but absolutely intentional!

I’ll be playing this week at the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic! Come and check all of the phenomenal players out.