Tennis
Why do Tennis Players Blow on Their Hands? Answered!
Have you ever wondered why tennis players blow onto their hands and fingers? We have finally found the answer!
Dominic Thiem blows on his fingers//Getty Images
The quirky, often unusual and perplexing actions of tennis players certainly have their place in the sport. However, if you were to watch a tennis match, you would no doubt see at least one player blow onto their hands or fingers at some point. Why? Be it habit or some other reason, we’ve unpacked it!
Humid Conditions
During the warm summer months, humidity plays quite a strenuous role, especially at the highest level. The grip on the racket becomes slippery – extenuated by the sweaty palms of the players. There are of course numerous ways in which to counter this, professional players will often change the grip on their actual racket, use a sweat towel, or even apply chalk or gels. However, in the heat of combat, the cooling effect of blowing on their fingers gives an instant (albeit short lasting) result.
Yes, the habit of blowing on your hands may look horribly awkward and unnatural to the casual viewer, but it amongst the most common reasons for blowing on your fingers during a tennis match. The reality is a sweaty palm and grip will significantly hamper the performance of a player. Its impractical to use your towel after every point or to change your grip – and when you are competing for the highest honours, it is every minor detail which may give you match point.
Cold Weather
Once the weather becomes somewhat chilly – especially on the outdoor courts – you will once again see tennis players blowing onto their hands and fingers. We can assume that the hot breath warms up their hands, even for a few seconds, giving them a bit of relief.
In really cold environments, your hands would naturally get quite numb and therefore adversely affect the grip you have on the racket. Again, it would be through blowing on their hands and fingers that they are able to give themselves relief. Thankfully, there are very few top level games which are played in winter.
The reality is that for many players, the margin of error is miniscule. Anything and everything which could give a player the edge on their opponent is taken advantage of – and rightly so! It’s a game of small margins, the difference between a championship and nothing is often just a single point.
Some players even attempt to blow onto their racket strings and beam in chilly conditions! This is done to try and limit the rigidness of the racket in cooler climates.
Further Superstitions…
Whilst tennis players are often these mentally tough and tenacious athletes, often they also rely on seemingly nonsensical processes and routines. The experienced amongst us might have already picked up on many of these, but for the novice tennis fan – this might bowl you over.
Richard Gasquet
Each time Richard Gasquet wins a point on his serve, he insists that the ball is returned for his next serve. And likewise, if he is to lose the point on the serve, he will sort through balls until he finds the one which he won his last serve.
As you may have assumed – he’s definitely one of the favourite among the ball boys and girls…
Serena Williams
Serena was another player devoted to superstitions. She would lament, after a shock defeat in the French Open in 2007, that the reason for her defeat was the fact that she didn’t tie her laces properly. Furthermore, she had to travel with the same bags, and wear the same socks!
Again, given that she went on to become one of the greatest of all time to play the game, we would say it worked.
Rafa Nadal
As a point of departure, our word count wouldn’t allow for us to accurately capture all of Nadal’s quirks! You would of surely noted his constant hair and face wipe, or his somewhat strange underwear ruffling before serving. Oh but there is more, much more. He will always take two bottles of water onto court (one with warm water and the other with cold), he will always do a box jump after the coin toss and sprint to the service line thereafter.
The most famous one of all though – and you would have seen this done on numerous occasions – is he is guaranteed to bite the trophy of a Wimbledon win!
Ryan Liberty is an experienced sports writer whose articles have featured in some of the biggest sports publications in South Africa. With a strong understanding of all major sports and an in-depth understanding of betting, Ryan consistently delivers insightful content. He's also known for his ability to break down complex topics into engaging, reader-friendly pieces.