Tennis Nutrition and Supplements: What Players Eat, Drink and Avoid

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Watch a pro match closely and you’ll see it at every changeover: a bite of banana, a few gulps from two different bottles, sometimes a gel. Then look around a junior tournament and you’ll see kids living on vending-machine chips between rounds. Tennis nutrition sits between those two pictures. Tennis players don’t need anything exotic. They need enough food for long, unpredictable days, a plan for hot courts and the occasional four-hour match, and a lot of caution about supplements. This page covers daily eating, fueling around matches, hydration, and which supplements have evidence and third-party testing behind them.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy. This page is general information, not personal dietary or medical advice.

Daily eating for tennis players

A 2013 review in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (Ranchordas and colleagues) pulled together the research on tennis nutrition. It notes that tennis players aren’t extreme in any one area but need to be good at everything: speed, power, endurance and focus. Energy use during play was similar on every court surface. The review’s daily targets for players training hard most days:

• Carbohydrate: a habitually high-carbohydrate diet, 6–10 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, with women generally needing slightly less than men. That means rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, oats, fruit and starchy vegetables at most meals.
• Protein: about 1.6 g/kg a day for players training hard every day. That fits the 1.2–2.0 g/kg range in the ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada position. Spread it across meals: eggs, dairy, fish, chicken, beans or tofu.
• Fat: healthy fats belong in the diet, and the review suggests fat intake shouldn’t go above 2 g/kg a day.
• Travel: the review suggests telling hotels and tournament organizers about your food needs ahead of time. Pack familiar snacks for flights and long days.

Recreational players who play a few times a week don’t need to count grams. Regular meals with a carbohydrate, a protein and plenty of fruit and vegetables cover it.

Fueling around matches

• Before: a familiar, carbohydrate-rich meal 1–4 hours before play, low in fat and fiber. Try it before practice first.
• During: the review suggests 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour once a match goes past about two hours, from sports drinks, bananas or chews, taken at changeovers.
• After: carbohydrate and protein soon after play, especially with another match the same day or the next morning. Our tennis recovery guide covers the hours between matches.

The full changeover routine, cramp prevention and heat rules are on our tennis match-day page.

Hydration and sodium

Tennis players can sweat heavily, and sodium losses vary a lot from player to player. The Ranchordas review suggests about 200 mL of fluid with electrolytes at each changeover in mild weather, and more, around 400 mL, above 27°C (80°F). Heat researcher Michael Bergeron has shown that cramping in hot-weather tennis is usually tied to heavy sweating and the sodium lost with it. So a drink with sodium makes more sense than plain water for long, hot matches. On cool days and short club matches, water and a normal meal are usually enough.

Young players: food first

Junior tournaments often mean all-day waits and two matches in a day. A packed cooler of sandwiches, bagels, fruit, yogurt, pretzels and drinks does more than any product. The American Academy of Pediatrics says caffeinated energy drinks have no place in children’s and teens’ diets, and it advises against creatine for athletes under 18. For a junior, the useful “supplements” are a big water bottle and a sports drink for long, hot days. See our youth tennis guide for more.

Supplements for tennis players: what the evidence says

• Sports drinks and electrolytes: the most useful. Carbohydrate and sodium in a form you can drink in 90 seconds.
• Protein powder: a convenience. Food can do the job; a shake is just quick after a late match or on the road.
• Creatine: good evidence, for adults. The 2018 IOC consensus on supplements lists creatine among the few with good evidence, mainly for repeated high-intensity efforts and strength training. It’s not for players under 18, and it can add some body weight.
• Caffeine: works for some, not for everyone. The tennis review found caffeine can help performance in studies. But side effects include jitters, an upset stomach and poor sleep, which matters before an early match the next day. It isn’t for teens. Anyone with a heart condition or who is pregnant should ask a doctor first. If you use a caffeinated product, stay within the label.
• Vitamins and iron: test, don’t guess. A basic multivitamin can help players with a limited diet or lots of travel. But take extra iron or vitamin D only if a blood test and your doctor say you need it.

Anti-doping in tennis: why third-party testing matters

Pro tennis is tested under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, run by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). Its message on supplements is blunt: any player who takes a dietary supplement “does so at their own risk,” and the ITIA doesn’t recommend any. Anti-doping rules work on strict liability. If a banned substance is in your sample, it’s a violation, even if it came from a contaminated product you didn’t know about. College players face the NCAA’s rules too. The NCAA’s 2026–27 list says there are no NCAA-approved supplements, that supplements “may be contaminated with banned substances not listed on the label,” and that its stimulant class includes caffeine sources such as guarana. Check every product with your athletics staff first.

Programs such as NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport/Informed Choice test products for banned substances. They lower the risk but can’t remove it, and they don’t test whether a product works.

Our top picks

Product	In one serving	Testing	About (Oct 2026)	Per serving
Skratch Labs Hydration	400 mg sodium, 19 g carbs	Maker says NSF Certified for Sport; not found in NSF’s database when we checked	$23.95 / 20 servings	about $1.20
Nuun Sport	300 mg sodium, 150 mg potassium, 1 g sugar	Informed Choice	$7.49 / 10 tablets	about $0.75
Thorne Whey Protein Isolate	21 g protein	NSF Certified for Sport	$65 / 30 scoops	about $2.17
Thorne Creatine	5 g creatine monohydrate	NSF Certified for Sport	$44 / 90 scoops	about $0.49
Klean Multivitamin	2 tablets; 1,000 IU vitamin D	NSF Certified for Sport	about $46 / 30 servings	about $1.53

Why these five: they cover what tennis players actually use. Skratch Labs Hydration adds carbohydrate and sodium for long, hot matches. Nuun Sport is a cheap, low-sugar tablet for shorter matches and practice. Thorne Whey is a simple 21 g protein shake for after a late match. Thorne Creatine is plain creatine monohydrate, for adults only. The Klean Multivitamin is a basic multi with no iron listed. Players who are drug tested should choose products they can verify on a testing program’s own database, and check the batch. Follow the label for how much to take. Our full comparisons are in best electrolyte powders, best protein powder for athletes, best creatine and best multivitamin for athletes.

Check the Nuun Sport price on Amazon

Check the Thorne Whey price on Amazon

Talk to a professional. Before starting any supplement, check with your doctor or a registered sports dietitian, especially for players under 18 and for anyone who is pregnant, takes medication or has a heart, kidney or other medical condition. Tested players should also check with their federation, the ITIA or their athletics department.

Back to the tennis hub, or keep going with match day, recovery and the best tennis wearables. Playing a team sport too? See soccer nutrition and supplements.

Tennis nutrition questions

What should a tennis player eat in a day?

Mostly carbohydrate-rich meals (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, oats, fruit) with a protein source at every meal and plenty of vegetables. A tennis review suggests 6–10 g/kg of carbohydrate and about 1.6 g/kg of protein a day for players training hard daily. Recreational players can simply eat regular, balanced meals.

What do tennis players eat during a match?

Small amounts at changeovers: sports drinks, bananas, energy chews or a few bites of a sandwich. For matches longer than about two hours, the review suggests 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour.

Are supplements safe for tennis players?

Some carry real risk for tested players. The ITIA says any player who takes a supplement does so at their own risk, and anti-doping rules work on strict liability. If you use one, choose a product certified by NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport, and check with a doctor or sports dietitian first.

Should junior tennis players take creatine?

No. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against creatine for athletes under 18. Young players do better with enough food, water and sleep.

Do tennis players need electrolytes?

For long or hot matches, often yes. Sweat carries away sodium, and research links sodium losses to cramps in hot-weather tennis. For short matches on cool days, water and normal meals are usually enough.