Avoiding FPL & watching sunrise – how players cope with jetlag

When tennis players converge on the Australian Open, jet lag is frequently the first subject of conversation.

Anyone who has ever traversed multiple time zones is aware of the devilish effects that can occur. Ironically, inspiration for writing this piece came while I was awake at 5am in Melbourne.

Although the fans who adore them may consider them to be superhuman, they also experience fatigue, acclimatization, and broken sleep.

The difference is that they frequently have to step on the court to play one of the most rigorous sports, sometimes even within hours of landing.

Tristan Schoolkate, an Australian tennis player who was raised in Perth, which is thought to be the most remote major city in the world, told BBC Sport: “As tennis players, we don’t have a choice.

Alexandra Eala, a Filipino player, agreed. You’re going to experience jet lag if you’re on the tour. You just have to deal with it, she said.

Due to the sport’s international nature, tennis stars travel more frequently than any other group of athletes.

Men’s soccer players traveled a total of 2.3 million kilometers over the course of the 2024 season, ATP data shows. This includes tour-level competitions held in 29 nations on five continents.

Every player has their own method of attempting to regulate their circadian rhythm, and they all understand how crucial it is to overcome jet lag quickly.

Novak Djokovic, who is known for meticulous body tuning, adds salt, mint, and lemon to his water on a flight to try to “over-hydrate.”

The 24-time major champion stated in Travel + Leisure magazine, “When I arrive at the hotel, I ground myself with bare feet on natural ground as soon as possible, followed by a hot bath with Epsom salts.”

I then try to wake up early in the morning to reset my mind.

Popular coping strategies for players have turned to melatonin as a sleep aid, and natural herbal tablets frequently contain plant-based ingredients like valerian, hops, chamomile, and passionflower.

However, some of the leading players have had serious repercussions from taking the hormone, which your brain produces in response to darkness and helps you sleep.

Iga Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, was found guilty of contaminated melatonin after failing a doping test in 2024.

Swiatek, from Poland, now prefers a more natural approach because of her experience.

“I’m completely fine here because I’m always traveling through dark, sometimes grey, Europe in November or December.” The best treatment, she claimed, is simply having the sun outside when you wake up.

However, it’s problematic to wake up too early. When Cameron Norrie arrived in Brisbane at the beginning of the month, the British men’s number two experienced “brutal” jetlag.

“I was all set to go at 3 a.m. There were many Premier League games at the time, and he claimed that it wasn’t helpful because of that.

“I was also noticing all of my fantasy football players not scoring.” I couldn’t fall asleep after getting so enraged.

Going forward, he will switch off the goal notifications on his phone and refrain from using it frequently at night.

When Francesca Jones, a fellow British player, arrives in Australia, she has no trouble getting enough sleep.

Jones insists on staying awake for the entire 24-hour journey because she feels like she can get into rhythm without getting too much sleep.

According to NHS recommendations for jet lag, a disruption to your circadian rhythm can cause nausea, indigestion, mild anxiety, and poor concentration.

Dehydration and inflammation can also be caused by traveling for a long distance and the various air pressures on airplanes.

This increases the likelihood of injury, according to sports scientist Stephen Smith, whose company Kitman Labs monitors player welfare.

According to Smith, “players are fatigued when they show up after long journeys where they haven’t slept well.”

“Fool has a multiplicity of effects, and it makes them more susceptible to injury if they don’t have enough time to adjust.” There are also some minor mobility and movement limitations.

Players who travel on first class and be able to lie down to sleep are obviously very different from those who do not.

Schoolkate, which is ranked 97th in the world, continues to travel in the middle of the money.

He claims that there have been numerous instances where he has traveled to the match court physically when he is unable to compete for ranking points or money.

One instance is that a year prior to his opening game at Indian Wells, India’s ambassador to the United States, he flew there at 1pm and was “so exhausted” before his match.

You have the sun in your eyes, and you’re not really adjusting, said Schoolkate, “but I was starting to yawn, which is not ideal.”

“Jet lag has a physical and mental impact on us. Playing at the highest level and hitting the ball in a specific location are two difficult tasks we are trying to accomplish.