Tennis Technology Tuesday
It will probably not surprise anyone that I love the “Bag Check” feature that runs on the Tennis Channel. I actually used to like it even more before it started to be dominated by product placement trope. Still, that segment occasionally turns up some genuine gems. I am very interested in what players at all levels carry in their bags.
Closely related to that interest, I love it when something unusual comes out of a player’s bag during a televised match. It definitely grabs my attention. Imagine my delight when Iga Swiatek pulled out an object for self-treatment of a tight quad during a doubles match a few weeks ago at the Western & Southern Open.
As soon as it came out of her bag, I knew exactly what it was. It is a myofascial release ball. Usually this is where I would disclose that I own one of these, but that simply isn’t true. I actually have two. One is permanently located in my home gym. The other is always either in the back of my car or… as conditions dictate… sometimes in my own tennis bag.
A myofascial release ball is a semi-firm foam exercise ball which can be used to pinpoint and isolate pressure points which are causing muscle pain. Essentially it is used to release muscle knots which can frequently occur in tennis. I most commonly use mine to target my quads, glutes, hamstrings, and piriformis.
The glorious thing, as Swiatek demonstrated, since it is small enough to put in a tennis bag it can be available on court when it is really needed. It is also fairly light weight which is also a consideration.
As long as I am posting gratuitous clips from that particular match, Swiatek accidently popped one of the ball persons with a serve during the warmup. On a scale of zero to Ostapenko, it was basically a love pat, but kind of funny at the time. I think this is the ball person equivalent of “Look both ways before you cross the street.”
I have mentioned before that I love to watch streamed matches during the early rounds of tournaments. In addition to actually getting to see doubles being played, streamed matches usually do not have commercials during the changeovers. This allows observation of player changeover routines.
Basically it is another opportunity to watch what the very best players do when competing. While I may never master the one handed backhand, carrying the same equipment is decidedly within reach. Additionally, I suspect that I actually need a myofascial release ball with higher frequency and intensity than Swiatek.
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