Whether you are competing in a doubles or singles tennis tournament, it is important to begin mental and physical preparation well before your competition day. Eliminate distractions that will take your focus away from the competition and work on your skills with a coach or friend. Identify your weaknesses and search online for drills that will help turn these weaknesses into strengths before the tournament. Work on your volleying, footwork, and stamina in the weeks before your competition. Give your body time to digest and store your food as energy by eating a vegetable, fruit, and carbohydrate-based meal well before the competition. Bring snacks, like fruit, a small lunch, and plenty of your own water or sports drinks if you are playing more than one match in a day. Good meal options before a tennis tournament include a banana with oatmeal, a fruit smoothie containing strawberries and bananas with a protein supplement, or a whole grain piece of toast topped with jam and an assortment of nuts. A week before the tournament, assess what gear you do not already have. Consider purchasing new gear, like a racquet or tennis shoes, if what you have is worn out or old. Assemble your gear, including comfortable clothes, tennis shoes, and a racquet, and place them in a bag so that you won't forget anything. Tennis clothing should fit comfortably and be breathable to limit sweating. Cotton shirts will keep you cool if it is hot out, and provide warmth if you are playing in the cold. Tennis shorts can be purchased at any sporting goods store and are specific to the sport, preventing the buildup of moisture while looking professional. Headbands and wristbands are important to keep sweat out of your eyes and off of your hands while playing. Proper tennis shoes are an important investment and should always be worn with moisture resistant sports socks. Bring a towel to wipe the sweat from your face and arms in between play. If the tournament does not supply tennis balls, bring your own for the match and for warming up. Before your first match, it is important to warm up properly to avoid injury and prepare your body for the competition. Go for a five minute jog before your match to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate. Stretch your major muscles groups, like your quads and back muscles, before the match to increase flexibility and help avoid injury. Practice static stretching of all your major muscle groups, including your quads, hamstrings, upper and lower back, and chest muscles for five minutes after a cardio warmup. It is easy to get nervous on the day of a tennis tournament, but nerves will only get in the way of you winning. Picture yourself winning the tennis match, going through each set and seeing yourself succeed. This visualization will calm your nerves and help you stay confident in the moments before the match starts. In the days leading up to your match, visualize your success before falling asleep and before practice to get used to this kind of thinking.

Summary: Start practicing two weeks before the tournament. Eat a balanced meal two hours before the competition. Bring all the necessary tennis gear to the match. Arrive at least thirty minutes early to warm up. Visualize your success to calm yourself.

Take all measurements with the tape flat against your skin, but not compressing it: Look straight ahead and relax your shoulders without hunching. Place the tape flat around your neck, just below the larynx (Adam's apple). Keep the tape level, at the same height on the front and back of the neck. Round the measurement up to the nearest half inch. For example, if your neck measures 14.6 inches, round up to 15 inches. Guide the measuring tape around the circumference of the waist at the most narrow point, usually between the belly button and the sternum. If you're not sure where this is, measure at several points and use the smallest value: For best results, hang your arms at your sides while someone else measures. Breathe in and exhale normally. Record the abdomen measurement at the end of the breath. Round down to the nearest half inch. For example, your abdomen might measure 28 inches around. Women may carry more body fat around their hips compared to men. Including this measurement is important for an accurate estimate of female body fat: You can measure against your skin or over thin clothing. If you are wearing tight clothing that compresses your soft tissue, change into something else and wait 30 minutes. Wrap the measuring tape around the hips so that it winds around the widest part of the buttocks, as viewed from the side. Keep the tape parallel to the floor. Record this measurement, rounding down to the nearest half inch. An example of your hip measurement might be 32 inches. Take height into account, since a taller woman has larger measurements than a shorter woman with the same proportions: Stand straight against a wall or other flat surface. Pull your shoulders back, keep your head up, and look straight ahead. Place a ruler or straight edge against the top of your head. Hold it flat and mark the wall with a pencil. Measure from the floor up to the pencil mark on the wall. Record the result in inches. For example, if you are 5'5", write down 65 inches. To avoid rounding errors, enter the following equation on one line of a calculator: Female body fat% =163.205log(waist+hipneck)97.684log(height)78.387{\displaystyle 163.205\log(waist+hip-neck)-97.684\log(height)-78.387} For instance, entering the example measurements above:Body fat% =163.205log(28+3215)97.684log(65)78.387{\displaystyle 163.205\log(28+32-15)-97.684\log(65)-78.387}=163.205log(45)97.684log(65)78.387{\displaystyle =163.205\log(45)-97.684\log(65)-78.387}=14.33{\displaystyle =14.33}This woman has approximately 14.33% body fat. This formula uses log10{\displaystyle log_{10}}, the default log button on calculators. Use these guidelines as a starting point to determine whether you are at a healthy body fat percentage: A body fat percentage above 33% (if under 40 years old) may be considered overweight, while 39% or higher puts you in the highest risk category. A typical healthy woman has a body fat percentage between 21 and 33% (2334% if over age 40, or 2436% if over 60). Female athletes typically have a body fat of 1420%, varying by sport. Women typically carry about 10-12% of essential body fat. Falling below this can be dangerous.
Summary: Measure your neck. Measure your waist. Measure your hips. Measure your height. Enter your recorded data into the correct equation. Interpret your results.