The theme for this weekend’s series of posts is semi-hot takes stemming from my participation at the NTRP National Championships two weeks ago. Yesterday, I wrote about my realization that I now have a non-negotiable necessary feature for all my athletic shoes. Today’s topic is more directly related to tennis performance.
On the first day of the tournament, I met my doubles partner onsite to warm up at 7 a.m., when the USTA National Campus officially opened its doors. Shortly after we arrived, the courts quickly filled up with other players who were also preparing for their early morning matches. It makes perfect sense that players competing for a National Championship would do everything they can to be ready to perform. The best players don’t wait until they’re on court to get loose. They warm up ahead of time to acclimate to the court conditions, activate their muscles, and mentally shift into match mode. It’s a clear sign of someone who takes their performance seriously.
The use of the Fast Four format at the NTRP National Championships makes pre-match warmups even more crucial. With sets played to just four games and no-ad scoring, there’s very little room to ease into the match or find a rhythm after it begins. A slow start can quickly spiral into a lost set or match. At this tournament, players must step onto the court fully dialed in because there’s simply no time to work their way into the match once play starts.
The second day of the tournament was an entirely different story. While the courts were fully booked for 8 a.m. match start times on that day as well, very few players were on site early to warm up before those matches. Not coincidentally, the matches scheduled first thing that morning were for players who had been eliminated from Championship contention. Unfortunately, that included me and my doubles partner. Nevertheless, we showed up to warm up because that is what serious players do.
While it is possible that the lack of enthusiasm for warming up on the second day correlated with elimination from Championship contention, I think there is likely more to it. I suspect that the players who warmed up before their matches on the first day were more likely to advance in the main draw than those who did not. In other words, the competitors who took their preparation seriously from the outset were still in contention. I am sure those players took advantage of the designated warmup courts that were made available before their matches which were scheduled later on that day.
This brings me to my semi-hot take to close out today’s post. Winners warm up. It’s not just about routine—it’s about readiness. The players who carve out time to prepare before stepping onto the court are often the same ones still competing for the title on subsequent days. Warming up doesn’t guarantee victory, but skipping it significantly diminishes winning chances.
