Maybe Roger Federer's bed at the Carlyle in New York needs an upgrade? According to a new study, lack of sleep could explain his erratic play at the U.S. Open. In this British study--conducted about 100 miles from Wimbledon--researchers found that sleep deprivation impaired elite tennis players' ability to serve. The deleterious effect was stronger for women than it was for men, and caffeine (permitted even in Grand Slam events) did not help.
Maybe sleep was the problem.
In this study, participants (who were 18-22 years old and at the height of their neuromuscular powers) hit 40 serves into a small target area after sleeping a full eight hours overnight, and then again after sleeping for only five hours.
It turns out the players hit the target significantly fewer times with five hours of sleep than they did with eight hours of sleep. On average women hit the target 13 times with a full nights' sleep and only eight times when sleep-deprived. Men fared a bit better, hitting the target 18 times with a good nights' sleep and 14 times with just five hours of sleep.
In a second phase of the study, participants were asked to drink precisely 80 milligrams of caffeine 30 minutes before playing. Turns out caffeine did not compensate for sleep loss, and the tired players missed just as many shots after drinking the equivalent of a single can of Red Bull.
The takeaway for all tennis players, and especially for women: for your best serve get a good night's sleep.