ABSTRACT
Competitive tennis is an intermittent moderate to high intensity endurance sport with bursts of anaerobic activity which may be aggravated by heat and dehydration. In college matches, as well as some futures professional matches, it is common for players to compete in both doubles and single matches on the same day, sometimes with less than an hour of rest between matches. When matches approach or exceed 2 hours, it is not unusual to see performance deteriorate rapidly in the third set. Past sport nutrition research has shown that supplementing with a 6-8% carbohydrate (CHO)-electrolyte sports substantially reduces fatigue and assists re-hydration (Coleman, 1988). Furthermore, studies have determined that CHO supplementation may also reduce the sensation of effort and improve motivation (Davis, 2001). Tennis-specific sport nutrition research has reported that CHO-electrolyte beverage supplementation during match play maintains blood glucose levels, reduces dehydration, improves alertness and coordination, decreases unforced errors, and reduces fatigue (Burke and Ekblom, 1982; Keul et al., 1995; Vergauwen et al., 1998).
