It’s Hot Outside

Yes ladies, it is hot out there when playing in summer tennis tournaments. The courts get really hot and especially if every set goes to a tie breaker.

After a tennis tournament in Houston, where the temperature hit a nice balmy 98 degrees, players were having issues. One player, after a two and half hour match, spent the rest of the evening throwing up. It is so important to hydrate the night before any tennis match. You may think you have had plenty of water, but there is really no such thing as plenty of water. I see players putting various forms of electrolyte solutions in their water, but remember there is no true replacement for good old fashioned water.

There are three types of heat-related illnesses, and none are good. There are the heat cramps, which are the muscle spasms. Then there is heat exhaustion which occurs when fluids are lost through sweating and not replaced. If you find you are not sweating and it’s hot outside, then there is a problem.

Finally, the worst is heat stroke. It is the least common but most severe. It occurs when the body’s cooling system is completely overwhelmed and stops working.

I love to run in the heat and play tennis in the heat and have heat trained for many years. Don’t fool yourself. If you are not feeling right and not sweating, time to get off that court and out of the sun. Many people want to go for that ice cold glass of water, but go for that room temperature water instead. The body has to work harder to get the ice cold water to body temperature.

Remember, it’s just tennis.

Let’s take it to the net ladies. Be safe when this season begins. It’s still hot out there.