Love tennis? Add yoga...

Last month saw the return to the Queen's Club courts for both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in the Fever-Tree Championships, after injuries have kept them out of recent tournaments. Sadly, Murray hasn't made it to Wimbledon, by Djokovic made light work of his first round encounter on July 3rd.

Both players are passionate advocates of practising yoga, not only as part of their fitness regimes, but also in helping them to bolster their breathing technique and boost their mental agility. Andy Murray said “I used to train extremely hard. I don’t think I looked after my body as well as I should have done. That was something that changed a few years ago." He credits Bikram and Gyrotonic yoga with helping him recover his form after back surgery in 2013 and will no doubt be following a strict rehab regime following his recent hip operation. (The fact that he was able to cope with a five set match at Queen's Club is testament to that.)

After a fan posted a video on social media of a particularly impressive stretch on court from Novak Djokovic, he responded "Trust me, doing yoga pays off big time in every part of my life .." He's also at advocate of meditation and mindfulness, saying "For me, training isn't just about running myself ragged or repeating the same tennis skills over and over. The game looks like it takes place between the lines on the court, but it really takes place between your ears."

Improve your game

So how can us mere tennis mortals improve our game through yoga? My own involvement in recommending yoga for tennis players developed through personal requests from parents of junior players and spontaneously from adults who raised tennis or sport-related issues in the course of class teaching. Consequently, I have become experienced in recognising and handling solutions.  Notwithstanding that they have great talent, the limitations of movement and imbalances resulting from high impact, intense practice make even young players vulnerable to injury , which can exclude them from the game completely while they recover.

Strength, flexibility & movement

Yoga has a hugely positive role which goes far beyond the therapeutic. It enhances performance with its comprehensive approach to the body and its vast repertoire of postures that stretch and create flexion, as well as building strength. For the tennis player, this expands the range of movement and power.

Mental agility

Very importantly, yoga is also about mental stamina – the ability to remain focussed and clear on court; beforehand in preparation for a match and afterwards, in positive post-match assessment and development. Yoga does this with breathing and meditation techniques. Breathing techniques can also expand lung capacity which, combined with fitness, also contribute to endurance. In practice, the mind, the body and the breath work together.

In short, yoga can help to enhance a player’s game physically and psychologically, reduce vulnerability to injury and provide therapeutic assistance where recovery is needed.                         

So, if the grass court season inspires you to up your tennis game, take a look at the physical and mental benefits of incorporating yoga into your practice.

Hilary Lewis Ruttley is the founder of Calm Energy Yoga in Wimbledon. She can provide one-to-one, couples or group yoga sessions, which can be tailored to your sporting or health needs.

https://www.hilarylewisruttley.com/sub-page/4/calm-energy-yoga.html

07919 861 883