Sport Nutrition for Summer Tournament Play

By Page Love, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD and Skylar Smith, MS

Summer tournaments place unique physical demands on racket sports players. Hot weather, long match days, and high-intensity play require strategic nutrition and hydration to maintain energy, prevent cramping, and support rapid recovery. Preparing in advance allows players to start competition well-fueled and better able to perform at their best.

Pre-Match Fueling

The goal of pre-match fueling is to top off energy stores while minimizing stomach discomfort. Two to three hours before a match, eat a balanced, moderate-sized meal with carbohydrates, moderate protein, and minimal fat or fiber. For a morning match, good options include oatmeal or toast with one egg or nut butter, plus a piece of fruit. One hour before a match, choose light, easily digestible carbohydrates such as a banana, applesauce, and a salty grain like pretzels.

Nutrition During Match Play

Maintaining blood glucose during a long match is critical for sustaining intensity. Aim for 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour from sources such as a banana, sports drink, caffeine-free chews or gels, or low-fiber granola bars. This helps sustain energy and prevent late-match fatigue.

Hydration is equally important. Aim for one-half to one liter of water with electrolytes or a sport beverage per hour. Electrolyte packets such as Liquid IV can help your body retain water that is normally lost through sweat, delaying or minimizing dehydration in summer heat. Take advantage of every changeover to refuel and hydrate.

Post-Match Recovery

Recovery begins as soon as the match ends. Focus on the three Rs: Refuel, Repair, and Rehydrate.

• Refuel with carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores.
• Repair with 15-25 grams of protein within 15-45 minutes to support muscle recovery.
• Rehydrate with an electrolyte beverage to replace fluids and electrolytes lost during play.

Chocolate milk or protein smoothies make excellent first-line recovery choices.

If you are between matches, recovery is still a priority. For a short break, focus on quick-digesting carbohydrates and fluids. For a longer break of two or more hours, a full meal with carbohydrates and protein is appropriate. After a full tournament day, your recovery meal should be higher in carbohydrates with 5-6 ounces of protein and vegetables. Pasta with ground meat sauce and a side salad is a classic example.

Special Considerations for Summer Tournaments

In summer heat, sweat rates increase significantly, leading to greater losses of fluid and electrolytes. Players can estimate their sweat rate by weighing themselves before and after a practice session. Replace each pound lost with at least 20 ounces of hydrating fluids within two hours. Players can further personalize their hydration plan through wearable patches such as MX3 that measure sweat sodium concentration. Some elite players lose 800-3,000 mg of sodium per hour, making a structured hydration plan essential.

Frequent tournament travel can disrupt your fueling routine and expose you to high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Consider packing sport foods in case options are limited at your destination. At hotel breakfasts, look for bagels or toast, scrambled eggs or Greek yogurt, bananas and berries, and milk or juice. If no breakfast is available, instant oatmeal with nut butter and a banana paired with low-fat dairy is an easy, effective option.

When fueling across a multi-day tournament: reach for tried-and-true foods on day one, add calorie density on day two, and prioritize recovery carbohydrates on day three as fatigue builds. Keep at least one bar, one electrolyte packet, and one quick carb source like pretzels on hand for each match.

Sport Nutrition Packing List for Travel

Bars: CLIF Bar, ProBar Meal, Bobo Bars
Electrolytes: Liquid IV, LMNT
Recovery drinks: Whey Protein Shake, Core Power, Fairlife Chocolate Milk
Sports drink packets: Powerade, Body Armor Rapid Hydration
Other essentials: Instant oatmeal cups, energy bites, nut butter packets, trail mix or nuts, shelf-stable milk boxes, drinkable yogurts, crackers or pretzels

Sample Sport Nutrition Plan for a Summer Tournament Day

Timing	Food and Hydration
Night before	High-carb dinner: 2 cups pasta + 3-4 oz meat + tomato sauce + vegetables + several cups water
Breakfast / 2 hrs before warm-up	Oatmeal or toast + egg or nut butter + fruit. Hydration: ~1L electrolyte beverage and/or water
30 minutes before match	Applesauce pouch, non-caffeine energy chews, CLIF Bar or ProBar, pretzels, or banana. Continue pre-hydrating with electrolyte beverage.
During match (per hour)	1/2 to 1L water + electrolytes or sport beverage. If match exceeds 1 hour, nibble an energy bar or chews at changeovers.
After 1st match	Turkey wrap or sandwich + pretzels. Hydration: 2-3 cups water
30 min before next match	Applesauce pouch or high-carb energy bar. Hydration: 1-2 cups electrolyte beverage and/or water
After last match	Drinkable yogurt or chocolate milk immediately. Hydration: 1-2 cups electrolyte beverage and/or water
Recovery meal (within 1-2 hours)	2 cups carbohydrates + 5-6 oz protein + vegetable. Examples: grilled chicken + pasta + side salad; rice bowl + chicken or steak + greens; salmon + rice + asparagus

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About the Author

Page Love, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD is a sport dietitian, certified tennis and pickleball instructor, and founder of Nutrifit Sport Therapy in Atlanta. She serves as a nutrition advisor to the WTA and ATP professional tours, is a member of the USTA Sport Science Committee, and consults with Resurgens Orthopaedics. Page was a featured guest on the ARA Beat the Heat webinar. Learn more at nutrifitga.com or contact her at pagelove@nutrifitga.com.

Skylar Smith, MS holds a master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Georgia and is working toward her dietetics license with a focus on sports dietetics.

Originally published in ALTA Net News Magazine. Republished with permission.