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The game of tennis is beloved all across the world. The high ratings of tennis-focused shows such as 'Break Point' on Netflix, show just how much people love to watch the sport and see the behind-the-scenes that athletes have to do to perform at their best. One of the most captivating areas of professional tennis, is the lengths that teams and coaches go to, to reduce the chance of injury. This makes sense as an injured player cannot play, which defeats the purpose of all the training.

This article aims to take a look at some of the most innovative ways in which teams are protecting their star players from injury.

Brace Yourself

One of the best ways to avoid injury is to plan for it. A clever way that many tennis coaches have advised their tennis players to lower the risk of injury is to wear braces, especially around the areas where players are more susceptible to injury. In tennis, this would be the ankle, knee, shoulder and wrist. A player with an ankle brace is less likely to injure the ankle in a game, as the ankle has additional support from the brace. Many famous players such as Bojana Markovic and Anastasiya Kuparev, plus others, endorse specific braces that have helped them pre-injury or even during an injury. Braces now include such advanced technology that they are proven to reduce injury and act as a helpful partner whilst also being stylish and flexible.

Temperature Changes

A beloved act across all sports, from tennis to basketball, is making athletes experience drastic temperature changes. This is said to not only increase lung capacity, remove toxins and keep the body in better shape but it is also known to quicken recovery rates due to the increased blood flow the body experiences. Many athletes take a five-minute ice-cold bath after coming off the tennis court, sweaty and overheating. This is one of the best ways to cool the body but also support the body's attempt of trying to reduce injuries and get blood pumping into areas that perhaps could have minor injuries. With the correct temperature therapy, injuries should hopefully be kept at bay.

Stretching and Sport Massages

Another popular means of avoiding muscle injury is stretching and receiving sports massages. Tennis professionals have a rigorous stretching schedule, that often includes a coach physically moving their body into certain forms to maximize the stretch. Sports massages that athletes receive to avoid injury or reduce areas of stress that could lead to an injury are not the same as the ones an average person receives. Athlete-level sports massages are unfortunately not meant to be calm and relaxing but to be effective and focussed. After an intense training session, an athlete's body is often filled with cramps from overusing the muscles. This is where stretching and sports massages come into play. The stretching allows the muscle to recover slowly and the massage gives the muscle the attention it needs to get the blood flowing into parts that could potentially have minor injuries.

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