I am honored to be the Federation Cup Captain for Mexico, the most important international team competition for women’s tennis. Marcela Zacarias, Renata Zarazua, Ana Sofia Sanchez, Victoria Rodriguez and Constanza Gorches are among the best players that are trying to break through to become the best in the world and it is a privilege to be able to work with them this year and be involved in their development. Being a Professional athlete involves a lot of work and discipline. Here I share with you what they do to prepare for competition. I hope it motivates you as much as it has inspired me to step it up a notch in my everyday training. I only wish I had their metabolism. I miss the days I could eat just about anything!
Daily Regimen:
8:00am – 9:30am – Gym session – Consists of Ploy metrics, strength training, medicine ball, agility, cardio and finishing with a lot of stretching. Also lunges, jumping squats with barbell and core work. It is very important to keep your core strong for any sport to prevent injuries.
9:45am – 12:00pm – First session of tennis on the court – Drills, technical work, a lot of hitting with each other to get their rhythm and timing on their strokes.
12:00pm – Stretching session – Before taking a shower to eat lunch, it is very important to stretch after training to prevent injuries.
3:00pm – 5:00pm – Second session of tennis on the court – Focus on more hitting and point play.
5:00pm – 6:00pm – One more fitness training session. Depending on the day they alternate with footwork on the court with speed drills.
6:00pm – Rest, Jacuzzi, Massage, Shower.
Daily Diet:
Breakfast – A breakfast buffet filled with plates full of fruit including bananas, watermelon, berries, papaya, yogurt, eggs, beans, tortillas or toast and orange juice to drink.
Lunch – Big salad with vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, French bread, a choice of protein (fish chicken or steak) with a serving of starch, sometimes potatoes or pasta, fresh fruit or water. Some of the players also added a protein shake after their lunch.
Dinner- Depending on the evening, sushi, tacos, or pasta and always a dessert.
Mental Regimen:
With any professional sport, it is important to train your mind as much as your body. Without this, it is not possible to reach a high level of success. We have two sports psychologists that work with the team and we take mental training as serious as physical training, varying between one-on-one sessions with each of the girls to help them deal with the pressure of competition to group exercises challenging each of them by taking them to a challenging situation and giving them breathing techniques to relax.
They train like champions! It is a process, which requires consistency and sacrifice day in, and day out, but at the end of the day… nothing tastes sweeter than Victory!
