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French player Nicolas Mahut answered to some questions - from home - as part of the FFt’s Home Tennis series. In this episode, he talked about what the coronavirus global quarantine conveys for him, and not everything is negative.
“It allows me to stay a little with my family which I never see," he said. "I have imposed them a life rhythm for ten years, with a lot of absence, so this is a time for use to come together. So not everything is negative.
Regarding activity, it’s somewhat difficult. But I live next to woods, so I can go out and do my training sessions there, and I brought some bodybuilding equipment at home, so I can keep in shape this way. Obviously, when it comes to the racquet topic, things are a bit thin”.
As many have discovered in the past weeks, working from home is not as easy and cosy as it sounds like. So how do tennis professionals do it? “I am in contact with Jean-Michel Leveque, who’s been my physical trainer for eight years,” Mahut explained.
“Basically, I work on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday I rest, then back at it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday I rest. I alternate between sessions in the woods and bodybuilding sessions in the garage. Anything we can try to do”.
Wimbledon has been cancelled and the Tour’s resume date has been postponed by over a month, which means a lot of time without participating in any competition and perhaps as much without setting foot on a court. What will Mahut focus on during this time to be effective as soon as possible when everything starts rolling again? “Not gaining any weight, or the least as possible [is the priority],” Mahut said.
“I usually am fit, but I have to maintain this, because with 2, 3, 4 kilos too much… With the back and knee issues I had, it would not be good. I don’t know when the Tour will resume, but as we’ll have been still for a long time, if then I need three extra weeks to get back in shape, it’s going to be complicated.
So keeping the shape is a must, and then I need to strengthen my knees. That’s why I took some equipment, because body weight is delicate for me. I do not worry too much about tennis, even if then I will have to try to get everything back. But tennis is not what worries me the most”.