Recently, Iga Świątek was caught training with a tape on her mouth. It’s her way of training the body’s performance. Did you know that other top tennis players also train their endurance in unusual ways? Here’s how Djokovic, Murray and Nadal do it.
When the organizers of the Canadian Open tournament recently took a photo of Iga Świątek training on their courts with her mouth taped, the world was curious why she was doing it. It turns out that it has to do with her efficiency. Breathing only through the nose helps to get rid of toxins and balance oxygen and carbon dioxide, which results in better oxygen flow to the muscles, and these are crucial for Swiatek to last until the end of the match, even without catching cramps.
How do other great tennis players train their bodies? This was revealed by a former Polish tennis player and current tennis coach and commentator, Katarzyna Straczy.
-When it comes to endurance, there are different training methods. One thing is high-altitude – we go where there is a shortage of oxygen, although now it has been replaced with high-altitude training. A good example here is Novak Djokovic, who sleeps in a tent where there is a lack of oxygen, so the body gets used to such extreme conditions. Andy Murray uses measurements he can transfer to training, while Rafael Nadal plays a video of his match on the treadmill and adapts training to the match. So when there are breaks, he rests, and when he has to run fast, he runs – explained Straczy.
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READ: Iga Swiatek trains with her mouth taped. Here’s the reason
