ენდიმ და მეთმა ფანების კითხვებს უპასუხეს
"Can you settle an argument for me? Who in general are fitter - tennis players or footballers? I'm going with tennis players."
(Matt) Always a fascinating question, when attempting to compare sports. Of course, there is a great disparity between fitness levels of both tennis players and footballers within their own sport (midfielders being fitter than goalkeepers in football, singles and doubles players in tennis). Firstly, the scientific answer. In laboratory fitness testing (VO2 Max tests), I am reliably informed by my friends in physiology, that an elite midfield footballer can expect to score up to 70 ml/kg/min. These scores are very similar to that of a top tennis player. However, if we look at the physiological requirements of the two sports, tennis players must play up to 5 matches in a week, lasting from 90 to 210minutes (even longer in Slams) and compete for 11 months of the year. As opposed to their footballing counterparts, who play 1-3 90minute matches in a week and compete 10 months in a year. Finally, the training requirements of both sports. Elite tennis players practice up to 4 hours per day and complete approximately 2 hours fitness training per day. Footballers train in the mornings and are on the golf course in the afternoon! So there you have it, my unbiased opinion on who's fitter out of footballers and tennis players!
"What are your top 5 mental tips?"
(Andy) Hmmm. Good question. I don't really think in terms of top mental tips like '1), do this and 2) do that.' For me it's about removing doubt by making sure you're as well prepared as you can be. That's why I'm happy to work really hard in training blocks, and why I work hard in practice. It's because I want to arrive at a tournament knowing I've done everything I can. That way you can just go out and play with confidence. I think that's a good way of looking at it.
"If a player was physically well and he played a dramatic match (lasted for about 3 hours or more) and he was very exhausted, what is the best way to recover from it?"
(Matt) Recovery for the modern tennis player is as important as any of the off-court training they do. Getting this aspect wrong, particularly after long matches can significantly hamper a players chances of going deep into a tournament. Firstly, nutrition is vital. Within 30 minutes of finishing the match, protein and carbohydrates should be taken to re-fuel and repair tired and damaged muscles. A gentle cool down cycle or jog should be completed for 10-12mins. If the match was particularly tough, 10 minutes in the ice bath (8 degrees centigrade) is a fantastic way to flush out, the stiffness causing, acid and toxins from the muscles, as well as bring down any joint inflammation. Stretching needs to be completed, all major muscle groups, holding each stretch for 40-60 seconds and then finally rest, with a good meal rich in carbs and protein, low in fat. So now you know how much work continues after those tough matches!
"What's the best way of developing a powerful serve?"
(Andy) The thing with the serve is not to see adding muscle and strength as the best way of getting more juice on it. It definitely helps, but the best starting point is your technique. It all starts with the ball toss - the serve all flows from there, so it's really important to be consistent. Try and stay loose on your serve too, that helps. For sure technique is more important than muscles when you're still developing your game.
"What do you do to chill out after the match?"
(Andy) Ummm, dinner and lots of comedy DVD's! After a long match it's good to just switch off. The alternative is talking to Matt - not good.
"What do you think are the most time effective exercises to increase dynamic balance for tennis and what other exercises might you add to maximize control?"
(Matt) As we know, all tennis players require dynamic balance to control and maintain strong body positions when hitting the ball while on the move or at the end of a fast sprint. Improvements in single leg stability have also been proven to have a very positive effect on speed and agility. The best way to improve this quality is simply to practice 'hopping and sticking', although with younger players I would begin with even simpler exercises like balancing on one leg with eyes open, then eyes shut. Hopping and sticking drills would be to hop forward starting on 2 feet and landing on 2 feet, then try starting on one foot landing on 2 feet, starting on 2 feet landing on one foot and finally starting on 1 foot, landing on 1 foot. Jumping sideways should also be trained and I find alley hops the best for this. Simply jump (facing the net) sideways from doubles tram line to singles tram line using the same sequence of steps mentioned above. The emphasis when completing these exercises, is not so much about how far you can jump, but more about how well you control and absorb the landing. So each time you land, do so on a bended knee and hold in position for a few seconds before moving on to the next jump. Complete sets of 10 repetitions for all of the jumps mentioned above.
"Do Team Murray have any superstitions?"
(Andy) No not really. Well, other than Miles (Andy's coach). He's really superstitious. If I win a round, then we'll go back to the same practice court at the same time, and the same place for dinner. We just all go along with it!
"If you and Jamie had to play a tie-break against each other with you playing lefty and Jamie playing righty, who would win and why?"
(Andy) Me. I actually played double handed on both sides before playing righty, and I reckon that's key. Jamie plays golf righty, but I'm still saying me for sure haha.
"When you are traveling and go to places with different climates, what sort of training do you do to get used to the different weather??"
(Matt) Acclimatisation is definitely important to get right before you even leave the country for a tournament. Researching the temperature, time change, humidity and altitude of your next venue plays a vital role in your preparation for that event. The simple rule with this area would be, that the more extreme change in any of the factors listed above, the sooner you need to arrive at your tournament destination. Other tricks, like adjusting sleep patterns/ using altitude chambers/ light cells that replicate daylight/ saunas etc before you go can help to lessen the impact, but there's no real substitute for getting there early. Andy's recent decision to arrive in Australia early and play Hopman Cup in preparation for the Aussie Open has been well documented, and we all know how well that went!
"Would you say Matt is out of condition? He looks to be carrying a bit."
(Andy) I heard a rumour you're not shy of looking in the fridge yourself Phil. And I say that as someone who knows you.
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This post has been edited by Queen N on 19 Feb 2010, 16:49 
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Andy "Muzzah" Murray, ვისაც ენდი გევასებათ აქეთ...
