mance (serve velocity/accuracy, error rates)
during 3 h of tennis play. Because a decline in
blood glucose was not observed during exercise
in the control trial, the authors speculated that
glucose availability was not limiting during the
tennis match and accordingly, carbohydrate sup-
plementation would have little effect. In contrast,
Burke and Ekblom (1982) observed that the addi-
tion of carbohydrate to a rehydration beverage
enhanced indices of tennis performance to a
greater extent than water alone or no fluids.
Furthermore, Vergauwen et al. (1998) recently
observed that carbohydrate ingestion during 2 h
of strenuous tennis training increased perfor-
mance during a shuttle running test and a spe-
cific tennis performance test that assessed error
rates, ball velocity and precision of ball place-
ment when compared with ingestion of a sweet
placebo. Based on previous work demonstrating
the benefits of energy and fluid replacement
during continuous and intermittent exercise, it is
recommended that such practices be adopted
during racquet sports. There is little argument
that fluids should be ingested. The need for car-
bohydrate supplementation will depend upon
the intensity and duration of the match and is
likely to be of most benefit the longer the match
progresses. Athletes should experiment with
energy replacement beverages during training
and competition of varying duration to identify a
practice that best suits their needs.
In summary, the physiological and metabolic
demands of racquet sport training and competi-
tion are such that total energy, carbohydrate and
fluid intakes should be increased. The training
diet should contain sufficient amounts of these
nutrients, together with vitamins and minerals.
During periods of intense training and tourna-
ment competition, carbohydrate and fluid
intake may need to be increased to facilitate
rapid recovery on a daily basis. Ingestion of
fluid during matches will minimize the risk of
dehydration and carbohydrate supplementation
should also be considered, especially when
duration is extended. Given the large number of
factors that will influence the nutritional needs of
racquet sport competitors, nutritional guidelines
should be formulated on an individual basis.References
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