Before the match: refueling without overloading
Many amateur players think about their racket, their shoes, their grip… but arrive at the court with a coffee and a banana, or worse, on an empty stomach after a day’s work. For a sport as explosive as padel, that’s sabotaging the first half of the match before it’s even served.
The goal before a match is simple: to have energy reserves available, without weighing down digestion. The rule of thumb is twofold. Two to three hours before the match, eat a balanced meal based on complex carbohydrates (brown rice, pasta, sweet potato, quinoa), accompanied by a lean protein (chicken, fish, egg) and cooked vegetables. Avoid heavy sauces, fried foods and overly spicy dishes, which slow digestion and impair explosiveness. 30 to 45 minutes before kick-off, a small, easily digestible snack is all you need: a banana, a handful of almonds or a cereal bar will do the trick.
When it comes to hydration, the classic mistake is to wait until you’re thirsty. By the time thirst sets in, dehydration has already set in. The right reflex: drink 500 ml of water around two hours before the match, then 200 to 300 ml just before the warm-up. In very hot weather or in poorly ventilated halls, you can add slightly mineralized water to stabilize sodium intake from the outset.
During the match: maintain tempo and lucidity
A padel match rarely lasts less than 45 minutes, and can stretch well over two hours in straight sets. It’s in this time that the difference is made between prepared players and those who collapse in the third set. Here are a few simple rules for both friendly matches and tournaments:
- Drink at each changeover, even if you’re not thirsty, in small sips. Two or three regular sips are better than half a liter at a time.
- For a short match or one that’s not very hot,water is all you need. No need to bring out the heavy artillery.
- Over a long match, in a hot hall or in direct sunshine: switch to an isotonic drink containing fast carbohydrates, sodium and potassium. This compensates for mineral losses due to perspiration and reduces the risk of cramps.
- If the match drags on, a banana, fruit paste or dried fig at the changeover will give a definite boost without weighing down the stomach.
- Avoid sodas, very sweet juices and coffee: energy peaks followed by a sharp drop, exactly what you don’t want in the middle of the third set.
The mental benchmark is useful: you need to hydrate to keep up with the match you’re playing, but also to recover properly afterwards. Dehydration during a match costs you twice: in the immediate score, and in your legs the next day.
After the match: the retrieval window
This is the phase most neglected by amateurs. Once the match is over, you put the racket away, take a shower and string together something else. Except that the two hours following exercise are precisely when the body absorbs the most of what it’s been given. This is known as the anabolic window: a time when the body replenishes its reserves and repairs muscle fibres more efficiently.
In concrete terms, the ideal is a meal combining carbohydrates and proteins in a ratio of around 3:1, complemented by a little good fat. A bowl of quinoa with grilled salmon and greens, rice with chicken and avocado, or a plate of wholemeal pasta with eggs and sugar-free compote ticks all the boxes. To avoid in this window: beer, fried foods and very fatty dishes, which slow down retrieval and accentuate the next day’s fatigue.
When it comes to post-match hydration, there’s a simple guideline: if you have the opportunity to weigh yourself before and after the match, count on drinking 1.5 times the weight lost in water in the two hours that follow. For a match in which you lost 800 grams of sweat, that’s around 1.2 liters to make up for. Add to this a few additional reflexes: gentle stretching, a good night’s sleep and, if you’re stringing together several matches over a tournament weekend, a particular focus on electrolytes.
The overall logic is simple. Nutrition and hydration aren’t a matter for the pros, they’re a matter for the players. An amateur who structures his meals around padel gains energy for the match, tactics when it counts, and legs for the next match. At this level, it’s no longer a detail: it’s a real lever for progress.
To remember:
- Before the match: complex carbohydrate + protein meal 2 to 3 h beforehand, light snack 30-45 min beforehand, early hydration.
- During: drink at every changeover, water for short matches, isotonic drinks for long matches.
- Afterwards: carbohydrate + protein meal within 2 hours, and drink 1.5 times the weight lost in sweat to recover properly.
- Avoid sodas, alcohol, fried foods and heavy dishes before and after exercise.
