Why Do Tennis Players Eat Bananas? 7 Reasons & It’s Benefits In 2022

A banana is an excellent source of nutrition before and after a tennis match and during it.

Whether you are watching an amateur match or a professional match, players often eat bananas during breaks in the game.

Tennis Players tend to eat bananas during matches for various reasons, but these are the common ones.

Bananas provide tennis players with much energy during a match, so they choose to eat them.

There are some athletes who eat energy bars, and there are some who eat bananas. Bananas are not only healthy and convenient, but are also a great source of nutrition.

A tennis player eats bananas during a match for four reasons:

• Athletes need carbohydrates for energy.
• Potassium in them helps prevent pain during long matches.
• They are natural and packed with vitamins.
• It’s a quick and easy breakfast that’s perfect for a change.

The Seven Benefits Of Eating Bananas While Playing Tennis

1. Rich Source Of Vitamins

Tennis players burn numerous calories during their matches, so it is incredibly beneficial to increase their hemoglobin synthesis.

Vitamin B6 plays a significant role in maintaining blood sugar levels in bananas, along with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.

As a result, they provide ample nutrition to our bodies, which is extremely important for tennis players. Bananas replenish the energy they lose during matches.

Before your match, you can boost your energy and keep your spirits high by eating a banana.

There are a variety of minerals in bananas, including potassium, copper, magnesium, and manganese, in addition to vitamins (B6 and C). Although supplements are technically possible, it is preferable to naturally obtain these vitamins and minerals.

Related: What Are The Health Benefits Of Playing Tennis?

2. Easy To Digest And A Fast Source Of Energy

​Two bananas contain enough energy to power you through a 90-minute workout.

Bananas provide our bodies with 89 kcal of energy for every 100 grams.

Bananas are easily absorbed by the body and cause no digestive issues.

Besides providing natural energy, bananas are also a superfood that is easily digestible. After strenuous exercise on the tennis court, they are easily digested by the body.

3. Provides Natural Hydration

Approximately 75 grams of water are contained in every 100 grams of banana, as indicated by the banana nutrition chart provided on Healthline.com.

The banana contains 75% water, making it a natural water source. The banana hydrates the body naturally.

Bananas are often consumed during tennis matches, along with other energy drinks, to replenish lost fluids.

4. Excessive Potassium

Bananas are rich in potassium, which makes them a particular fruit. For tennis players, potassium is an essential mineral because it helps combat pain during long matches.

In our bodies, potassium is a natural electrolyte balance preventer.

Also Read: Best Tennis Shoes For Ankle Support

Every tennis player’s body needs to rehydrate after a strenuous workout and exercise that occurs during every match.

Bananas can play a crucial role in restoring your energy and providing you with this balance.

Tennis players can benefit from potassium’s ability to reduce strokes and heart attacks during intense matches in high heat.

Moreover, this element can prevent internal muscle injuries and body aches, so it is beneficial for tennis players on the court.

Maintaining potassium levels in athletes can be achieved by drinking orange juice. According to many athletes, the acidity of orange juice can also increase in the body.

You should eat bananas during your tennis matches, therefore. Bananas are generally preferred because they are more practical than other potassium-rich foods (coconut water, avocado, watermelon, and pomegranate).

5. A Good Source Of Carbohydrate

Tennis players and athletes need many carbohydrates in their diet. It gives us strength and energy.

Bananas are a good source of carbs and provide our bodies with the energy they need before and during tennis matches.

The banana is not only full of carbohydrates, but it also scores 51 on the Glycemic Index, which means that the carbohydrates are absorbed quickly and provide energy for a long time.

You might feel energized after eating foods with a high GI, but you will likely crash soon afterward.

Alternatively, low-ranking foods are slow to provide energy, and by the time the match is over, you might as well give up. One of the main reasons tennis players eat bananas is that they are a very well-balanced food.

6. Constipation And Heartburn Prevention

Tennis players sometimes experience digestive problems. These problems are more common in older players. Other health problems they suffer from include heartburn and stomach ulcers.

During tennis matches, it is excellent to eat bananas. They are high in fiber and potassium, so they aid digestion.

As bananas provide relief from heartburn and ulcer pain, they are also safe for patients with those conditions.

These are the main benefits of eating bananas during tennis matches rather than any other health supplement.

7. Reduces Your Mental Stress

Tennis players become highly stressed during their intense matches. They need something to help calm their minds to focus on their sports. Banana is rich in tryptophan, which calms the mind.

Serotonin is thought to be regulated by this amino acid. Bananas instantly bring you a sense of peace and security.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is another ingredient. It is also known to promote calmness and relaxation in mind.

This will relax your brain and allow your blood pressure to return to normal when you eat bananas during your tennis matches. You will be able to concentrate on your game better.

Do Bananas Make A Good Snack For Tennis Players?

Tennis players used to eat bananas for breakfast as their preferred breakfast. Athletes, however, have recently started taking special supplements that contain all the nutrients they require. Which one is the best?

A player needs to take the lead in some way when competing at the highest levels in ATP and WTA. Due to the importance of nutrition to athletes, it is understandable that they would prefer something other than bananas to meet their dietary requirements.

However, these supplements are often much more expensive. For instance, bananas are typically very inexpensive. Tennis players of all levels, especially those covering longer distances, still consider bananas the best breakfast for matches and exercises.

Banana Controversy

During the 2020 Australian Open, Elliot Benchetrit asked a ball girl to peel his banana.

It is not part of her duties to peel bananas, and he must peel his bananas, said the umpire.

Despite criticism, Benchetrit claims he requested this because he had cream on his hands and could not peel it.

Is It Safe To Consume Bananas?

Too many bananas will cause side effects, just like too much of anything. A banana might not cause too many problems during a tennis match, but maintaining a healthy balance is essential.

Several tennis players would like to avoid constipation, digestive problems, insomnia, weight gain, and insomnia when consuming bananas in excess.

Is There A Banana Substitute For Tennis Players?

There is still a tradition of players eating bananas on the court. More than 40,000 bananas attended the 2019 Wimbledon Games, as mentioned earlier. Several of the top tennis players have experimented with banana substitutes.

After eating a banana, athletes take longer to work their magic than when they use carbohydrates in liquid form (or what they call sports drinks).

Some players replenish their energy loss by eating energy bars, which contain grains and sugar.

There were all kinds of things there, including almond butter, trail mix, and dates, which Novak Djokovic loves.

In addition to being a source of instant energy, dates also don’t have much sugar in them, so they don’t raise blood sugar levels the way bananas do.

Brian Twins, Mike, and Bob consumed a food gel pack consisting of dates and coconuts, but they also drank electrolyte drinks to replenish their lost carbohydrates and potassium.

Diet before and during a match has become an essential part of the tennis player’s checklist. These days, some sports nutritionists recommend bananas, which contain much sugar, instead of a standard diet for athletes.

Conclusion

The importance of nutrition for tennis players cannot be overstated. What type of fuel you use will determine how far your body can go at the end of the day? You can improve your game by making better food choices. Bananas can be a good starting point.

Their benefits include increased energy, pain prevention, stress reduction, and healthy nutrients. They improve your overall match performance.

It would be best if you therefore used them during your tennis matches.