I ensure I always have something green on my plate, says Yuki Bhambri

Tennis is a hard, rigid sport. It is grueling in more ways than one – from intense physical exertion during matches to travelling for tournaments.

The travel engagements in addition to physical demands can keep players and their support staff craving for healthier options.

India’s top doubles-ranked player Yuki Bhambri understands the importance of a balanced diet and is always ready to make informed choices.

“I try to keep it easy and basic. I eat a lot of proteins. And something we’ve grown up hearing, eating our green vegetables. So making sure I have something green on my plate. I try to eat as healthy as I can,” he said in a conversation with The Bridge.

"I go for protein bars as a snack and a lot of fruits, something I enjoy and consider a healthier way," he said.

“I have cheat meals. A lot more than I should, but I try to keep it to once a week. When I've traveled a lot, I prefer to go to an Indian restaurant and order butter chicken or chicken tikka with naan. In general, I would prefer a home-cooked meal,” he pointed.

Different approach to fitness

The sport requires one to be in peak physical fitness. And Yuki understands that better than anyone else. Having had a fair share of career-threatening knee injury, he has now taken a cautious approach of including different fitness regimes including pilates sessions and Iyengar Yoga.

“It's something that I've started to enjoy a lot more. Early on, I attached myself more to it as being a part of tennis, a part of work that you had to do, a sort of chore. I feel a lot of it because tennis tends to be a bit too rigid. I try different things in terms of fitness, I've done a few pilates sessions, Rohan (Bopanna) introduced us to Iyengar Yoga in Bangalore. I've been on the lookout for something like that in Delhi,” he said.

“To keep myself active and to have different forms of fitness is something that I now look forward to and enjoy,” he said.

Self Motivation

Yuki had a partial tear in his knee tendon in 2019, which left him in the sidelines for a prolonged period. He underwent treatment in the United States and returned to the court on March 2021 before switching his focus from singles to doubles discipline.

Reminding himself of the injury phase works as a constant motivation for him.

“Believe me, everybody wants to take a nap. I came from Munich and I was here in Delhi and the last few days have been so hot. It's tough wanting to wake up at six in the morning and trying to get practice at seven before it gets boiling at 10 o'clock.

“I always tell myself is how privileged I am at the moment to be able to do this, because when I was out for about three years with my knee injury, I would have given anything to be wanting to go back to a gym, working out, or to going and practicing and playing tennis. So that's something I don't forget to remind myself on days that I feel I've played enough tennis or times that I feel like I've done my rehab and I don't want to go do another session,” he pointed.