Most players think about food only when they feel flat in the second hour of practice. What you eat before, during and after training decides how well you train and how well you recover. The research here is mostly from tennis. Padel is a stop-start court sport too, so the basics carry over, but I don't know of padel studies.
It starts at breakfast
Training food is the whole day. Your body gets most of its energy from carbohydrate: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, lentils, fruit and dates. You get stronger between sessions, and for that you need enough protein and enough total energy. Food comes first. The ITF, WTA and ATP statement on tennis nutrition says the same.
- Regular meals. Three main meals, plus one or two snacks on heavy days. Don't skip breakfast.
- Carbohydrate at every meal, with a bigger share on heavy training days.
- Protein at every meal, not just dinner. A palm-sized piece of chicken, meat or fish, two or three eggs, or lentil soup with bread and yoghurt.
- Fruit and vegetables most days, and water all day.
Adults can use numbers. The ITF statement suggests 3 to 5 g of carbohydrate per kg on a light day, 5 to 7 g/kg on a moderate day and 6 to 10 g/kg on a double-session day, and about 1.2 to 1.8 g/kg of protein. Growing players should ask a sports dietitian.
Before you train
A little carbohydrate before a long or hard session helps. Before a short one it may not change much. That finding comes mostly from endurance sport, not tennis.
- 2 to 4 hours before: a normal meal with carbohydrate, some protein and not too much fat. Rice and chicken, or bread with eggs and cheese.
- 30 to 60 minutes before, if you're hungry: a small snack, like a banana, a few dates or a piece of bread.
- Very fatty, fried or spicy food right before training can sit heavy.
For a long or hard session, the ITF range is 1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kg, 1 to 4 hours before. The closer to the start, the smaller the meal. Some players feel a dip after something sweet 30 to 60 minutes before. Choose bread or oats, add protein, or wait until the warm-up.
During the session
For most sessions, a few sips of water in every break is enough. In a session longer than about 90 minutes, or in the heat, a little carbohydrate and salt can help. For play from 90 minutes to 3 hours, the ITF range is 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate an hour.
- Carbohydrate: a few bites of banana, a date or some raisins every few breaks. One banana is about 25 g, so one an hour is the low end.
- Salt, if you sweat a lot: something salty in the breaks, like bread and cheese, and a glass of ayran after.
To be honest, tennis studies on eating during play are mixed. Some show better strokes late in a session. Some show nothing. That's why the ITF says to test it in practice.
After you train
Within about 1 to 2 hours, have a meal or snack with carbohydrate and protein, plus water. It refills your energy and helps repair muscle. If you train again within about 8 hours, don't push it back. If not, your total for the day matters more than the exact timing.
- Rice, or rice with lentils, with chicken and salad
- Bread with eggs or cheese, and a piece of fruit
- Milk with a banana or a few dates
Gym and tennis on the same day
Two sessions in one day is fine. The shorter the gap, the more the carbohydrate in between matters. If both are hard and the gap is under 8 hours, the ITF range is 1 to 1.2 g of carbohydrate per kg per hour for the first 4 hours, in small, frequent snacks.
- Gap under about 2 hours: small, light snacks you know well, like a banana or bread and cheese. A little often, not all at once.
- Longer gap: a normal meal that isn't too heavy, then a small snack close to the second session if you need it.
- On hot days, replace the water and salt you've lost.
Teens: calcium, vitamin D and iron
Teenage athletes are more likely to run low on calcium, vitamin D and iron. Food is the best fix.
- Calcium: milk, yoghurt, ayran and cheese, across several meals.
- Vitamin D: your body makes a big part of it from sunlight on your skin. A few foods have it too, like fatty fish and eggs.
- Iron: red meat, chicken, fish, lentils and beans. Teenage girls lose more because of their periods. Tea can lower iron absorption, so drink it between meals.
Teens: eat enough to grow
A teenager who trains needs energy for training and for growing. A weight-loss diet without a doctor's advice isn't right for a growing player. When the body gets less food than it needs for a long time, researchers call it low energy availability. It can hurt health and performance in girls and boys. Parents, talk about your child's energy and strength, not weight or body shape.
Caffeine and supplements
Under 18: no caffeine to play better. Paediatric experts say the caffeine and stimulants in energy drinks have no place in what children and teenagers drink. I'd keep coffee and tea out for that purpose too.
Adults: if you already drink tea or coffee and it suits you, a normal cup about an hour before you play may help a little. The studies used bigger doses, about 3 mg per kg, around 200 mg for a 70 kg player. Not in the late afternoon or evening, because it can mess up your sleep.
Based on the ITF, WTA and ATP expert group statement on nutrition in tennis (Vicente-Salar et al., 2025), Ranchordas et al. (2013), Desbrow et al. (2014), Kerksick et al. (2017), Guest et al. (2021) and Mountjoy et al. (2023).