To succeed in professional singles tennis, players have to be exceptionally driven. Essentially, the summit of the sport is an environment that only rewards the most determined and it goes without saying that the day-to-day life of cutthroat competition can take a demanding toll on players who strive to get to the top.
This is especially the case if you consider that to even get anywhere close to becoming a member of a professional tour requires a back-breaking amount of work and sacrifices at almost every turn. Arguably, every part of a professional tennis player’s life has been consumed by the goal of fulfilling their ambitions.
Considering the pressure on these players, they must be able to disconnect from the game in order to recharge their batteries. So, what do some of the world’s best do when they are not required on court?
Novak Mediates the Stress Away
As far as Novak Djokovic is concerned, less is more given that the first thing that the 2022 Wimbledon singles champion chooses to do in between games on tour is to sit in a dark room so that he can meditate. The Serb describes this process as a chance to ‘disconnect so that he can reconnect.’
The PlayStation Generation
Meanwhile, a player like Nick Kyrgios prefers a noisier environment which is why he tends to play on his PlayStation. In particular, Kyrgios, who is currently battling a knee injury, enjoys the iconic football game FIFA during his downtime as a way of helping him recover after disappointment on-court.
The same can be said for German Alexander Zverev who packs his console in his bag before his toothbrush while getting ready to leave home. Above all, the world number 16 likes to spend his free time playing the hit game Fortnite.
The Increasing Need to Find Peace of Mind
In essence, it’s easy to understand why there would be a move toward blocking the world out for an hour or two as on tour the players are seldomly out of the public eye. The intense glare of the spotlight has only increased in recent times as tennis became more mainstream. This can be seen from the Netflix cameras following the best players around in the show Break Point. It joins a number of new series that aim to take a look at the behind-the-scenes of sports, and has captivated tennis lovers and those unfamiliar with the game alike, by opening up the human aspect of it.
But it isn’t only the film industry that is now covering tennis with greater detail, but the iGaming sector as well. For instance, if you searched for ‘the best online casino in the US‘, you would find the likes of BetMGM and Ceasars Casino, who all offer tennis slot games along with generous deposit match bonuses to their clients who would like to play them. The wider point here is that tennis is no longer a fringe sport and many industries are capitalizing on the sport’s growing popularity. It is with this in mind that you can better appreciate the need for players rest and recuperation.
Each to Their Own
Irrespective of how players spend their time away from the court, the need for players to do something which offers a chance to relax has never been greater. Indeed, it’s a matter of each to their own in the quest to find the inspiration to journey to the top of the sport.