It's not uncommon for tennis players to pick a different sport as a hobby or even become multisport athletes to improve their overall fitness.
For instance, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is a popular golf enthusiast and has played in a lot of amateur tournaments, one of which he won this year in Mallorca by defeating over 70 players.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic also trudged the golf course in the celebrity-filled Ryder Cup exhibition last year and recently played football during his stay in Indian Wells a couple of weeks ago.
For professional tennis players, dabbling in other sports has a positive impact when added to their daily mundane routine. Because they spend over 30 weeks of the year traveling to tournaments in different countries, some variety in their training can help alleviate the dangers of burnout.
Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as one of the world's top-ranked players. He has two Grand Slams to his name and captured his fifth Master's title at last week's Indian Wells Masters to end his near eight-month title drought.
The World No. 2 talked to Nick Remsen in an interview with Esquire, where he disclosed his love for golf. The 20-year-old explains that it can be quite tricky to fit a golf session into his schedule, but he tries to maximize every opportunity to do so, as it helps him to unwind tennis.
"I try to play as often as I can. But it can be hard to find three or four hours of the day. It’s good to, let’s say, forget about tennis a little bit."
In the same interview, Alcaraz also praised his childhood idol Rafael Nadal, whom he faced in a recent exhibition match as part of the Netlfix Slam. When quizzed to reveal the one lesson he has picked up by watching Nadal over the years, he said it is his ability to scour for solutions.
"Rafa (Nadal) has that fighting spirit; he never gives up on the ball. (I look to) the way he finds solutions when things are not going well."
0 Comments