Condition
Tennis Performance
Tennis is an intermittent sport that blends power, agility, endurance, and focus, with matches lasting anywhere from one to five-plus hours. Among supplements, the evidence is strongest for caffeine, electrolytes, and whey protein, which are linked to alertness and endurance, hydration in long or hot matches, and muscle recovery. Creatine has moderate evidence, while citrulline has very limited research, with one small study of 21 people finding no clear difference in anaerobic capacity.
- Supplements studied
- 3
- Graded outcomes
- 1
- Trials
- 3
- People studied
- 66
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity No effect | NoneNo effect | 21 people | ||||
| Power Output | Improves (the measure goes up) | 3 studies | 21 people | |||
Studies that measured power output
| ||||||
| Strength | Improves (the measure goes up) | 21 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neuromuscular Function | Improves (the measure goes up) | 2 studies | 9 people | |||
Studies that measured neuromuscular function | ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint Performance Metrics | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 36 people | |||
Studies that measured sprint performance metrics | ||||||
Key findings
- Anaerobic Capacity
The Tennis Performance Enhancement protocol
2 primary supplements · 3 supporting supplements
- Caffeine3–6 mg/kg body weight 30–60 minutes before play
- Creatine Monohydrate3–5 g daily
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Studies cited
100 studies from PubMed
- Does creatine supplementation improve glycemic control and insulin resistance in healthy and diabetic patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Role of creatine supplementation on exercise-induced cardiovascular function and oxidative stress
- Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players
- Does creatine supplementation improve the plasma lipid profile in healthy male subjects undergoing aerobic training
- Effects of creatine supplementation on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in sedentary healthy males undergoing aerobic training
- Creatine supplementation increases glycogen storage but not GLUT-4 expression in human skeletal muscle
- Creatine supplementation affects glucose homeostasis but not insulin secretion in humans
- Creatine supplementation and health variables: a retrospective study
- Effect of oral creatine supplementation on human muscle GLUT4 protein content after immobilization
- Role of submaximal exercise in promoting creatine and glycogen accumulation in human skeletal muscle
- l-Citrulline supplementation improves O2 uptake kinetics and high-intensity exercise performance in humans
- Effects of supplemental citrulline malate ingestion during repeated bouts of lower-body exercise in advanced weightlifters
- The Effect of Citrulline/Malate on Blood Lactate Levels in Intensive Exercise
- Citrulline Malate Fails to Improve German Volume Training Performance in Healthy Young Men and Women
- L-citrulline reduces time to exhaustion and insulin response to a graded exercise test
- Effects of Supplemental Citrulline-Malate Ingestion on Blood Lactate, Cardiovascular Dynamics, and Resistance Exercise Performance in Trained Males
- Effects of Citrulline Malate and Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Blood Flow, Energy Metabolism, and Performance During Maximum Effort Leg Extension Exercise
- Eight weeks of resistance training in conjunction with glutathione and L-Citrulline supplementation increases lean mass and has no adverse effects on blood clinical safety markers in resistance-trained males
- Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle
- Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness
- Acute Effect of Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Upper-Body Resistance Exercise Performance in Recreationally Resistance-Trained Men
- Acute citrulline malate supplementation improves upper- and lower-body submaximal weightlifting exercise performance in resistance-trained females
- Acute Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on High-Intensity Strength and Power Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Acute citrulline-malate supplementation improves maximal strength and anaerobic power in female, masters athletes tennis players
- Impact of L-citrulline supplementation and whole-body vibration training on arterial stiffness and leg muscle function in obese postmenopausal women with high blood pressure
- Impact of l-citrulline supplementation on oxygen uptake kinetics during walking
- Effects of L-citrulline oral supplementation on polymorphonuclear neutrophils oxidative burst and nitric oxide production after exercise
- Oral L-citrulline supplementation enhances cycling time trial performance in healthy trained men: Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled 2-way crossover study
- Acute citrulline-malate supplementation is ineffective during aerobic cycling and subsequent anaerobic performance in recreationally active males
- One Week of L-Citrulline Supplementation Improves Performance in Trained Cyclists
- Oral L-citrulline supplementation attenuates blood pressure response to cold pressor test in young men
- The effects of short term L-citrulline supplementation on wave reflection responses to cold exposure with concurrent isometric exercise
- l-Citrulline supplementation attenuates blood pressure, wave reflection and arterial stiffness responses to metaboreflex and cold stress in overweight men
- Does l-citrulline supplementation improve exercise blood flow in older adults?
- Effect of oral L-citrulline on brachial and aortic blood pressure defined by resting status: evidence from randomized controlled trials
- Acute effects of Nitrosigine® and citrulline malate on vasodilation in young adults
- Acute Citrulline-Malate Supplementation and High-Intensity Cycling Performance
- Oxidative stress and nitrate/nitrite (NOx) status following citrulline supplementation in type 2 diabetes: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Improvement of ventricular function in systolic heart failure patients with oral L-citrulline supplementation
- Effect of L-arginine or L-citrulline oral supplementation on blood pressure and right ventricular function in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction
- Effect of citrulline on post-exercise rating of perceived exertion, muscle soreness, and blood lactate levels: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Citrulline Malate Does Not Improve Muscle Recovery after Resistance Exercise in Untrained Young Adult Men
- L-citrulline improves splanchnic perfusion and reduces gut injury during exercise
- Short-term effects of L-citrulline supplementation on arterial stiffness in middle-aged men
- Inter-Individual Responses to Citrulline Malate Oral Supplementation on Post-Exercise Hypotension in Hypertensives: A 24-Hour Analysis
- Acute Effects of Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping After Exercise in Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
- L-Citrulline increases nitric oxide and improves control in obese asthmatics
- Chronic l-citrulline supplementation improves cardiac sympathovagal balance in obese postmenopausal women: A preliminary report
- Inflammatory markers response to citrulline supplementation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial
- Oral l-citrulline malate in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and Eisenmenger Syndrome: a clinical trial
- L-citrulline-malate influence over branched chain amino acid utilization during exercise
- Dose-ranging effects of citrulline administration on plasma amino acids and hormonal patterns in healthy subjects: the Citrudose pharmacokinetic study
- Oral citrulline does not affect whole body protein metabolism in healthy human volunteers: results of a prospective, randomized, double-blind, cross-over study
- Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction
- Nitric oxide precursors and congenital heart surgery: a randomized controlled trial of oral citrulline
- Effect of creatine monohydrate in improving cellular energetics and muscle strength in ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled 31P MRS study
- Creatine for treating muscle disorders.
- Creatine monohydrate enhances strength and body composition in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- Comparison of creatine ingestion and resistance training on energy expenditure and limb blood flow
- Creatine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, amino acids, and medium-chain triglycerides and endurance and performance
- The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels
- Effect of in-season creatine supplementation on body composition and performance in rugby union football players
- Creatine fails to augment the benefits from resistance training in patients with HIV infection: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetarians
- Effects of creatine supplementation in taekwondo practitioners
- Creatine supplementation improves muscular performance in older women
- The effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation with and without D-pinitol on resistance training adaptations
- Effects of creatine on body composition and strength gains after 4 weeks of resistance training in previously nonresistance-trained humans
- Creatine monohydrate supplementation on body weight and percent body fat
- Reliability and detecting change following short-term creatine supplementation: comparison of two-component body composition methods
- Low-dose creatine supplementation enhances fatigue resistance in the absence of weight gain
- Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Muscle Mass in Older Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- The Paradoxical Effect of Creatine Monohydrate on Muscle Damage Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Creatine supplementation and physical training in patients with COPD: a double blind, placebo-controlled study
- Creatine monohydrate increases strength in patients with neuromuscular disease
- Effect of creatine ingestion after exercise on muscle thickness in males and females
- Does nutritional supplementation influence adaptability of muscle to resistance training in men aged 48 to 72 years
- Effects of four weeks of high-intensity interval training and creatine supplementation on critical power and anaerobic working capacity in college-aged men
- Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletes
- Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on neuromuscular function
- The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength and power
- Effect of thirty days of creatine supplementation with phosphate salts on anaerobic working capacity and body weight in men
- The effects of supplementation with creatine and protein on muscle strength following a traditional resistance training program in middle-aged and older men
- The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength
- Effect of different frequencies of creatine supplementation on muscle size and strength in young adults
- Effects of creatine monohydrate and polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength, endurance, and power output
- The effects of creatine supplementation on muscular performance and body composition responses to short-term resistance training overreaching
- Creatine as a metabolic controller of skeletal muscles structure and function in strength exercises in humans
- Effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and strength indices in experienced resistance trained women
- Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1
- Effects of two and five days of creatine loading on muscular strength and anaerobic power in trained athletes
- Effects of high dose oral creatine supplementation on anaerobic capacity of elite wrestlers
- The effects of four weeks of creatine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness: a randomized controlled trial
- Effect of caffeine ingestion after creatine supplementation on intermittent high-intensity sprint performance
- Effects of creatine supplementation and three days of resistance training on muscle strength, power output, and neuromuscular function
- Mg2+-creatine chelate and a low-dose creatine supplementation regimen improve exercise performance
- Physiological responses to short-term exercise in the heat after creatine loading
- Skeletal muscle total creatine content and creatine transporter gene expression in vegetarians prior to and following creatine supplementation
- Muscle glycogen supercompensation is enhanced by prior creatine supplementation
- Effect of creatine on aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in skeletal muscle in swimmers