Tennis and Tantalising Fun: How Do Tennis Stars Unwind?

We love our tennis stars and we’re always interested to learn more about them – both on and off the court. What do your favourite stars do for fun, how do they kick back after tense matches and difficult days?

Athletes the world over need to find ways to relax and disconnect from their game of choice so they don’t burn out. We all know that one of the best ways to prevent burnout is to do something totally different with your brain – so what are these folks doing off the court that will leave them refreshed and invigorated, ready for the next match?

If you’re a keen athlete yourself, maybe you’ll get some inspiration from the stars’ approaches, finding activities that you love from what leaves them feeling refreshed. Let’s check out some top activities you can try to come down from a tough fitness challenge, whether it’s tennis or something else.

Boris Becker: Gambling

We don’t need a lot of introduction here – Becker’s already a legend that many people know and love. He was the youngest-ever person to win the gentleman’s singles Wimbledon Championships! Okay, he’s not active anymore, but during his time, he scooped up his fair share of amazing titles and tournament wins and more than demonstrated his phenomenal skills on the court.

Hearts and minds around the world belong to him, but what about beyond his skill on the tennis court? Well, when he retired, he found a new way to enjoy the thrill that tennis had previously offered him in the glamorous world of the casino.

Poker tends to be Becker’s game of choice, and many have even said that he loves poker more than he ever loved tennis. Whether that’s true or not, we don’t know – but we do know that he’s often been drawn to the casino and that he’s also proved his worth here. And it’s not just poker; he’s also a fan of the slots, and on any given day, you might see him checking out online pokies at Ignition or another amazing casino. He’s had some absolutely huge wins from the poker tournaments, and the slots offer another fun element that lets him enjoy a bit of variety!

Lots of athletes enjoy gaming as a great alternative to the time spent on the pitch because it ticks a lot of the same boxes; you get to compete, you’re chasing the thrill of a win, and it’s using different parts of your brain. Pokies make a particularly great option for unwinding because they’re not stressful and they don’t require you to use too much brain power!

That might be why other tennis pros, like Rafael Nadal, have opted for casino fun too – he’s often shown off his poker prowess, even against some of the real professional players.

And it’s not just casino games that have won over the tennis enthusiasts; many others talk about playing video games as a way of unwinding while still ticking the “competition” box. Again, most video games are using totally different parts of the brain from tennis, so this is pretty effective on the whole!

Kevin Anderson – Music

Music is almost as different from tennis as you can imagine getting, and it’s the activity that Kevin Anderson, another famous tennis pro, turns to for his relaxation hours! Indeed, it’s the very difference that means he finds this such an effective way to take a break from training.

Anderson is very enthusiastic about guitar and has spent years honing his skills, enjoying the break that it offers from the intensity of tennis. Music can be enormously absorbing and uses pretty much all the different areas of the brain, making this a seriously effective way to get out of a rut and refresh yourself. Yes, it takes work to become great at guitar, but that’s what athletes like Anderson love!

He’s not the only tennis enthusiast to turn to the creativity of instruments in order to unwind either! Gael Monfils is another professional tennis player who has talked about the value of music for relaxation. If you’re a keen athlete who needs to find a way to give your brain a break, you might want to think about this as an option.

Novak Djokovic – Disconnecting

Novak Djokovic’s approach to unwinding takes a totally different form again. He likes to sit in a dark room with relaxing music and disconnect from the rest of the world, shutting off devices and just being alone with himself. He says this approach lets him connect much better when the time comes, and given his phenomenal performances on the court… well, it seems like he might be onto something!

It’s not really that surprising to see such variations when we look at how tennis players like to kick back; after all, they’re all individuals with different preferences and different needs! One thing that we can really see here though is the importance of taking a break that leaves you refreshed and invigorated, whether that’s through playing pokies and spinning the reels to your heart’s content, tuning up an instrument and having a good jam session, or just turning everything off and sitting quietly!