Tip of the Day: Healthy eating with a healthy mindset is the difference between match point and break point

Nutrition is the make or break of a player’s performance. At any level and age, what you put into your body determines how well you perform both on and off the court. And when it comes to competing with the best of the best, eating well could be the difference between a match point and a break point.

Although “nutrition” and “healthy eating” and “balanced diet” can often have negative connotations, there’s some good news to be excited about because smart food choices don’t have to mean ruling out the goodies altogether. Roger Federer, for example, would indulge his sweet tooth as often as the cravings hit.

The key is to empower the body and mind with as much nutritional value and enjoyment as possible—the latter being equally as important as it is forgotten.

For young tennis players growing competitive and ranking-hungry, developing a balanced intake is key. Convincing them to exile sweets, sodas and processed foods is a difficult task, and one that could backfire performance as well.

Exiling food groups to growing bodies results in cranky moods and short tempers, which leads to more frustration and agitation on the court as a result, since the diet was drastically altered suddenly.

This can be said for macro food groups as well like carbs, which are most exiled in diet culture today. Even eating too much protein and not enough carbs, or too many carbs and not enough protein, results in the same imbalance in the body and mind, leading to poor performance on the tennis court.

Read: Carlos Alcaraz links performance improvements to diet change: “More fish, less red meat”

We all know that balancing protein, carbs, fats, and minerals are essential to developing muscles, engaging thoughts, and grounding the self. That’s the nutritional value half of the equation. Add in a balanced serving of sweets (sub in your cravings), and you complete the enjoyment half.

The latter half puts the mind at ease. No more longing, running thoughts, disappointing yourself if you slip up. Instead, you’re simply content—the body’s happy, the muscles’ relaxed.

You’ll be a balanced self walking onto the court, with more energy and patience, which supports the competitor in you to play longer points, be more strategic with your shots, and maintain control over the mind during crucial moments.

Friendly reminder, even the professionals are still learning what works best for their games. US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, for example, recently became one of the fittest players on tour, and credits his minor changes to his great successes this year.

Whether it’s plant-based, vegetarian, gluten-free, pescetarian, or carnivorous, your diet should be a balanced one. Food should set you up for productivity, should feed your hunger for success. Find a balancing act that both supports nutritional value and enjoyment, and watch as the energy within translates to results on the court.