Podcast Transcript:

Hello and Welcome to News From The Future, spoken by the eleven labs audio clone of Dr Catherine Ball.

In this new short series we will be focussing on Sleep. We all do it, and we all recognise when we have not had enough of it.

Dr Cath’s new book The Future of Sleep is out now and available in paperback from Amazon as well as on Kindle, and hopefully on Audible. We think you’ll get something life changing from it.

Today we are talking about jet lag, sleep, and the Australian Open Tennis.

Enjoy!

The demanding world of professional tennis presents unique challenges when it comes to managing jetlag, with players constantly crossing multiple time zones throughout the season. The international tennis calendar spans an impressive 29 countries across five continents, leading male players to accumulate a combined 2.3 million kilometers of travel in the 2024 season alone, according to ATP data. This makes tennis players among the most frequently traveling athletes in professional sports.

The physical and mental toll of crossing time zones affects even the most elite players, who often must compete shortly after landing, regardless of their sleep status. As Filipino player Alexandra Eala candidly explains, “If you’re running on three or four hours of sleep, you are going to play. You have to adjust.” This reality is particularly challenging for players from geographically isolated regions, like Australian Tristan Schoolkate, who grew up in Perth, considered the world’s most isolated major city.

The effects of jetlag are particularly pronounced at major tournaments like the Australian Open, where players arrive from various time zones and must quickly adapt to perform at their peak. The challenges include disrupted sleep patterns, physical fatigue, and the need for rapid acclimatization to new conditions. These factors become even more critical in tennis, one of the most physically demanding individual sports.

Players have developed sophisticated strategies to combat jetlag’s effects. Twenty-four-time major champion Novak Djokovic follows a meticulous routine that includes “over-hydrating” during flights with a special mixture of water, lemon, mint, and salt. Upon arrival, he implements a three-step process: walking barefoot on natural ground for grounding, taking an Epsom salt bath, and watching the sunrise the next morning to reset his circadian rhythm.

The use of supplements to manage sleep patterns has become common among players, though this approach carries significant risks. Natural herbal tablets containing ingredients like valerian, hops, chamomile, and passionflower are popular choices. However, the use of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, has led to serious consequences for some players. Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek received a one-month ban in 2024 after a contaminated melatonin supplement resulted in a failed doping test. Similarly, Stefanos Tsitsipas attributed his poor performance in the 2023 French Open quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz to the effects of melatonin.

Following her experience with supplement-related issues, Swiatek now advocates for a more natural approach to managing jetlag. She finds that transitioning from Europe’s winter darkness to Australia’s abundant sunshine provides a natural reset for her body clock. However, the early morning wake-ups can still pose challenges, as British player Cameron Norrie discovered when he found himself wide awake at 3 AM in Brisbane, distracted by Premier League matches and his fantasy football team’s performance.

Players have developed various personal coping mechanisms. British player Francesca Jones deliberately stays awake during her entire 24-hour journey to Australia, using strategic sleep deprivation to reset her body clock. Spain’s Paula Badosa relies on ice-cold water in the morning to jumpstart her system, while many players, including Schoolkate, depend heavily on Melbourne’s renowned coffee culture for their caffeine boost.

The medical implications of frequent long-distance travel extend beyond mere fatigue. According to NHS guidance, jetlag can trigger a range of symptoms including sickness, indigestion, mild anxiety, and concentration problems. Sports scientist Stephen Smith of Kitman Labs emphasizes that the combination of dehydration, inflammation, and fatigue from air travel significantly increases injury risk, particularly affecting players’ range of movement and mobility.

Travel conditions play a crucial role in recovery. First-class passengers who can lie flat during flights have a distinct advantage over those in economy seating, where restricted space can impede physical recovery. This disparity particularly affects lower-ranked players like Schoolkate, who continues to travel economy due to financial constraints. He recounts playing at Indian Wells after arriving from India just 36 hours before his match, experiencing severe fatigue and coordination difficulties.

The physical demands of tennis make the impact of jetlag particularly challenging. Players must maintain precise hand-eye coordination, explosive movement patterns, and tactical awareness despite their bodies operating on different time zones. As Schoolkate notes, “We’re affected physically and mentally by jetlag. We’re trying to perform a tricky task, playing at the top level and hitting the ball in a certain spot.”

The reality of international tennis requires players to constantly adapt to new time zones while maintaining peak physical condition. This challenge has become an integral part of the modern game, requiring players to develop personalized strategies for managing their bodies across different time zones. While long flights and time differences remain a fundamental aspect of professional tennis, the players’ ability to cope with these challenges often becomes a crucial factor in their competitive success.

Please buy Dr Cath’s new book: The Future of Sleep and share this with someone you know who sleeps, thank you.

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