“I feel good,” Tiafoe told reporters at Monday’s post-match press conference. “My fitness is solid so far. I’ve lost a lot of weight. Really spend time on it.
Wayne Ferreira has emphasized fitness since becoming Tiafoe’s coach in February 2020, but this year, Ferreira and other members of Tiafoe’s team said Tiafoe is focusing on injury-prevention stretching and fitness at the gym. I noticed a change in how I devoted myself to exercising. Consistency is key, says his team.
“I think he has a much better routine every day,” Ferreira said.
In addition to Ferreira, Tiafoe often travels with his physical therapist, Brett Waltz, and his strength and conditioning coach, TC Costello.
Most people don’t have a tennis coach, physical therapist, or personal trainer, but Costello believes Tierfour’s routines will benefit tennis players of all levels. Below are three exercises that Costello said were part of Tierfoe’s training program.
Medicine ball exercises are a staple in Costello’s training for tennis players. The day after Tiafoe beat Nadal, Costello had Tiafoe do light medicine ball practice and movement training for 30 minutes before Tiafoe stepped out on the court and hit for his 30 minutes.
“When it comes to tennis, I really love building strength with medicine balls,” said Costello, senior director of athlete development at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, where Tierfoe trained. rice field. “Throwing a medicine ball is very similar to tennis, so it applies very well to the sport.”
To do this drill correctly, find a wall where you can throw the medicine ball. Costello recommends using a medicine ball that weighs 4-8 pounds, or one that can be thrown with “greatest intention.” He added that being too heavy will prevent you from throwing the ball as hard.
Then stand with your feet parallel to the wall. This is called an open stance in tennis. According to Costello, Medicine pushes his ball to one side with his knees bent and drives the ball into the wall as fast as possible while applying the load from the leg closest to the ball. Repeat this movement 5 times with the medicine ball. Rest for 3 minutes, then he does 1 more set he does 5 reps then switches sides and does 2 more sets he does 5 reps.
For closed stance, turn your body and feet sideways toward the net. Push forward with the weight on the back leg. Do 2 sets of 5 repetitions on each side with 3 minutes of rest between sets. In that version, he catches the medicine ball after it bounces once and loads and drives it from his back foot while throwing the ball back.
“The key to that drill is throwing the ball as hard as you can, driving it off your back foot, shifting your weight through your hips, and driving that ball as fast as you can,” Costello said. Because it’s a way to develop.You’re just throwing a medicine ball at a wall and you’re not doing anything.”
Tiafoe is known for speed. He can chase shots and hit the winner with his quickness.
One of Costello’s favorite footwork and agility drills is reaction time. Take four cones and square them about 10 feet apart. stand in the middle When working with Tiafoe, Costello points to the cones he wants Tiafoe to move. Tiafoe takes a quick step toward the cone, returns to the center of the square, and then moves to the next cone Costello calls out.
“With rebellious spirit [component]where tennis translates to pointing to different areas to keep players interested. [opponents are] I’m going to hit the ball,” Costello said.
To get quicker and faster, do 3 sets of 20 seconds each with a 1 minute rest in between. Doing it as a conditioning drill might last a little longer.
“Movement is very similar to tennis. [tennis players] “Stay very low, quick, go down, touch the cone, come back in the middle, and respond wherever I say,” Costello said. It’s a quick turn and push back, so the movement is similar to tennis, so you get a little quickness, footwork, agility work, but also reaction work…that too.”
A strong and stable core is important for tennis players of all levels. Costello likes to train her core through anti-rotation, anti-flexion, and anti-extension exercises. One of his exercises he recommends is commonly known as the Palov His Press.
“Because it’s an anti-rotation drill,” Costello said. “It works every muscle in our core.”
This can be done on either a band machine or a cable machine. Standing straight, pull the tightly tied band toward the center of your body and tuck it slightly below your chest. Keep your core tight. The whole point of the drill is to keep your center still while the band or cable pulls you in one direction.
Do 3 sets of 2 12 reps. There are drill variations in which a person kneels or lunges.
According to Costello, one of the reasons Tiafoe has been so successful this year is because he’s been more consistently focused on fitness.
It includes nutrition. “He’s just getting a little smarter about what he eats,” Costello said, adding that Tiafoe isn’t sticking to a particular diet. When asked by a reporter about what he ordered from Uber Eats, he said: “Crib.”)
His success isn’t due to “magic drills or anything like that,” Costello said. Instead, it’s about his dedication to everything an elite athlete needs.
“Whether it’s a warm-up, a cool-down, an injury prevention job, or a little exercise to keep your shoulders healthy, do everything with 100% commitment and do it consistently. “It’s been a big one for him this year,” he said.
