Recovering

Recovery sounds like what happens when you do nothing. In fact it's an active part of your fitness — and the most underrated one. Your body gets stronger in the recovery afterwards, not in the training. And within a match, the recovery between sets often decides whether you're still there in the third set.

Two time scales matter. The short one: the breaks in the match itself, between rallies and between sets. Use them deliberately — breathe calmly, loosen the body, gather the mind. Whoever stays wound up in the breaks gives away recovery they'll need in a moment. The long one: the time between training sessions. Your body needs breaks to adapt and get stronger. Sleep is the single most important recovery factor of all.

From this follows something many find hard: breaks are part of training, not a sign of laziness. Whoever plays hard every day and never rests doesn't get stronger, only more tired — and eventually more prone to injury.

Recovery is like reloading. A field worked again and again without a break gets exhausted. A period of rest lets it bear fruit again.

The art is the balance: enough load to get better, and enough recovery for the load to take effect.

Pay deliberate attention to your breaks for once — in the match and between training days. Do you use the short breaks between sets to recover, or do you stay wound up? And do you allow yourself enough rest and sleep between intense days? Observe whether on days after good recovery you feel fresher and play stronger. Often more rest is the progress you least expect.