Last week, Hope found (and translated) this little snippet on the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha site -

"Rafael Nadal yesterday visited the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) for a "sweat test" in the Faculty of Sports Science of Toledo. This test, carried out in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory under the direction of Professor Ricardo Mora, researches rehydration needs of professional athletes when exercising in high temperatures.

"Professor explains, Nadal underwent an exercise test in hot conditions similar to those found recently in Cordoba during the Davis Cup semifinal. In the laboratory, they measured his ability to dissipate heat through sweating, and how his body temperature was rising. In the coming days will also review the composition of his sweat and the initial hydration status. "With these data, we prepare a report to advise on the best strategies for rehydration and nutrition before and during games," said the professor. "The performance of an elite tennis player depends on technical factors of the sport and physiological factors that allow your muscles can continue hitting the ball full speed after three or four hours of game. The heat, if it accumulates in tissues can reduce the power of the body and hence the performance in tennis, "he explains. They also collaborated in carrying out the test the students of the Faculty Nassim Hamouti, Juan Fernando Ortega, Valentin Fernandez, Jesus Garcia-Pallares and Alvaro Lopez. During his visit, Nadal was accompanied by medical Spanish Tennis Federation, Angel Ruiz Cotorro, by the rector of Toledo campus, Evangelina Aranda, and the dean of the Faculty, Susana Mendizabal. UCLM Communications Office. Toledo, September 20, 2011."

It seems a good time, therefore, to publish this article written by bluebird a few weeks ago during the US hard court season. MAC

There’s an old saying: "Horses sweat, men perspire and women glow!" Guess that person never went with a group of VBers to watch Rafa practice and play at a tournament on a hot day. And even though he’s strong as a horse and has that handsome glow about him, the boy is sweating.


As the American tour is upon us now and there have been triple digit temperatures lately in the USA, I thought it might be fun to look at the subject of Rafa and ‘sweat’. It was hard but somebody had to look through all those delicious photos.

Doctors tell us that sweat is a good and necessary thing to help maintain normal body temperature. As fans, we’ve been terrified to see Rafa sweating too much (AO ’11) when we suspected he didn’t feel well.


The worrisome moments are balanced by the times we’ve witnessed the Rafa ‘Ultra-Glow’ while he is practicing or playing. (A personal observation: I just bet the sleeveless shirts are cooler to play in.)


He wisely brings out the ice towels on changeovers during super-hot days, which is a good thing, because he knows he’s got to cool down to stay sharp and to avoid heat exhaustion.


The American summer series is played on Deco Turf, which is a court surface applied over asphalt. I found mention of a court temperature in Melbourne of 107F in 2009 during a WTA Australian Open match. That’s pretty extreme even standing in the shade, but start running on a surface with an asphalt base and I imagine it will probably melt the soles of your tennis shoes if you play long enough. But it’s not just your feet that will be burning. It’s a good thing those Nike bandanas are ultra absorbent!


You lose vital minerals when you sweat, mostly sodium and potassium and it’s incumbent on any athlete…pro or weekend warriors…to learn when and how to hydrate in order to avoid heat exhaustion, dehydration, or something worse. Sweat cools our bodies, otherwise we’d just cook!


This summer in the USA we’ve seen temperatures skyrocket and records broken. It was 102F yesterday where I live in the Midwest, which translates to over 38C. I learned that it’s possible to lose 1-2½ liters per hour while playing tennis and in hot conditions up to 3½ liters. After play is finished there can be a 2%-3% deficit in body weight. Rafa weighs 188 pounds according to the current ATP website so this would put him down by about five pounds.


You can readily see at a summer practice how much Rafa is sweating. No wonder those front row practice seats are coveted.



And don’t we all expect to see more shirt changes during these sultry summer days? I know I do…


Seeing the thoughtfully placed water bottles hardly merits any mention, we’re so used to it. And I love the way he carefully lays out his drenched shirts to dry.


We know Rafa gives his all, regardless of the weather or conditions. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some of these sweat-drenched scenes this summer… exuberant Vamos-ing…


And victory dances…

Good luck Rafa and stay cool!