The heat is a formidable opponent for tennis players at all levels of competition. Extensive on-court sweat loss and thermal strain during tennis in the heat can recognizably impact performance and exacerbate related clinical risk. This is notably evident during extreme hot-weather tournaments, or when multiple singles matches are played in the heat on the same day and the scheduled rest and recovery periods between contests are inappropriately brief. Numerous practical offsetting measures, including appropriate hydration management, can be proactively implemented by players, coaches, and administrators to effectively reduce heat-related clinical risk and optimize on-court performance. However, heat safety guidelines from the tennis governing bodies need to be more tennis-specific and informed by more extensive data from real-world competition scenarios for all age groups and levels of play. Knowledgeably integrating relevant data across multiple domains and modeling using advanced technology and analytics will play a key role in this solution.
© Copyright 2019 Heat stress in sport and exercise. Thermophysiology of health and performance. Published by Springer Nature. All rights reserved.