Most Popular Tennis Tournaments

At present, there are 4 tennis tournaments which are considered the big leagues or the Majors. It is every professional tennis player’s dream to play in and win all these tournaments as they are considered the most prestigious due to tradition, world ranking, public attention, and the prize money.

These 4 major tennis tournaments are:

The Australian Open – This tournament takes place at the Melbourne Park every January annually. It is the first of the Grand Slam tournaments to be held each year. The Australian Open was first held in 1905 and it was originally played on grass courts until 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been played on hard court.

The French Open - The tournament is played for a duration of two weeks in the spring, from late May to early June. It takes place in Paris and it is the only tournament of the Majors that is held on a clay court, a tradition that has not changed since 1891. Since clay is a slow-moving surface, the French Open is considered by many as the most physically difficult of the Grand Slam tournaments.

The Wimbledon Championships – This tournament has been held since 1877 in Wimbledon, a London suburb. It is the most famous tennis tournament in the world and the oldest as well. It takes place from late June to early July. It is the only one of the Majors still held on grass.

The US Open - The most recent addition to the Majors, the US Open began as the U.S. National Championship in 1881 and it did not join the Grand Slam tournaments until 1987. The US Open is held during the weeks before and after the Labour Day weekend, usually from late August to early September. The US Open has changed its courts several times over the years. It started with grass then moved to clay in 1975, and finally to hard courts in 1978.

Info source: sportszonegroup.com.au

Facts About Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness Or DOMS

During physical activities, muscle tension builds up in the soft tissues of the body. Because of overuse or overextension, lesions and minor injuries happen in these tissues causing pain and poor athletic performance. Sports massage prevents such injuries and helps alleviate pain.

Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness And Sports Massage

Among the common setbacks for athletes is delayed-onset muscle soreness or DOMS. This refers to muscle pain which often develops several hours after exercise. It consists of predominantly eccentric muscle actions. Though DOMS is somewhat symptom eccentric-exercise-induced muscle damage, this doesn’t affect muscle damage. In fact, recent studies revealed that sports massage might help prevent and reduce the debilitating and painful effect of DOMS in athletes.

Based on an Australian study involving 5 women and men who performed various new exercises, massage has played a crucial role in alleviating DOMS by about 30%. Swelling was also reduced through the improved lymphatic and blood system circulation, which resulted to the removal of metabolites and other toxins.

Sports massage must be applied before and after events, with lots of maintenance sessions in-between competitions or meets. Warming up the major muscles to be used and improving tissue pliability are the main focus of pre-event sports massage. The athlete might even have a good mental state for competition. Post-event sports massage, on the other hand, is mainly focused on recovery. Also, it is geared toward reducing metabolic build-up and muscle spasms, which often happen with strenuous exercise.

The study further emphasized that when sports massage is integrated into a weekly training routine, athletes might avoid DOMS. Hence, they will feel more focused and calmer pre- and post-event.

Trivia Info Resource: www.schoolofnaturaltherapies.co.uk