British men’s No.1 Christian Medina Murphy reveals what’s in his padel bag

Medina Murphy took time out from training in Alicante - where he was preparing for the inaugural London Premier Padel P1 at Olympia (4-9 August) - to let us delve into his padel bag. The 27-year-old told us about the equipment he takes with him on the world padel circuit and how he prepares for elite competition.

Rackets

When I go to a tournament I usually take two rackets, but if I'm away for two or three tournaments in a row, in Asia for example, I always bring three rackets. Some players switch between rackets all the time, but I always use the same one. If that breaks, only then do I switch to the next one.

For me, the most important thing in a racket is a nice balance. I usually use hard, carbon fibre rackets with a good balance (i.e. medium weight).

Some people prefer to feel the weight in the head of the racket to give you more power in smashes and volleys. Some prefer weight closer to their hand. I have tried different types over my career but I feel most comfortable with weight in the middle.

Grips

I always change my grip before every match. We often play on indoor courts, and if we're outside, the weather here in Alicante is sometimes crazy, so I sweat a lot.

If I close my eyes and touch a grip, I know if it's new or it's been used even for one match. I can always tell!

Footwear

I have to take two types of padel shoes with me to suit different playing surfaces.

On a more sandy surface you need shoes with spikes for extra grip, but when I'm playing in Premier Padel, the Mondo surface (Premier Supercourt X3 synthetic turf) makes the sand invisible. It gives you more grip. If you play in spikes on it, you can get pain in the knees.

Hydration

I always have plenty of water in my bag for training and tournaments and I use several different things to keep my body hydrated.

I always have a scoop of Creatine every day. It gives you premium energy for your body that it's tougher to get from normal food. That's important for professional players. With Creatine you recover faster, you have extra energy and it's good for your muscles.

Food

I have a banana or a bar in my bag in case my match takes a long time and I need to take on extra fuel.

I always try to eat two hours before my match. If you eat really close to the match, you have a lot of blood in the stomach and not enough in the muscles to move the oxygen proerly. Maybe you feel more weight in the legs and you don't feel quick on court.

Resistance bands

I always have one miniband which you put around your legs (ankles) to warm up glutes and adductors, and one long band to warm up my chest, shoulders and my core.

When we play smaller FIP tournaments at padel clubs, sometimes there aren't any gym facilities, so with these two bands you can warm up anywhere.

Sweatbands, towels and t-shirts

I always have sweatbands and a spare T-shirt in case I need to change it during longer matches or in really hot weather. And a towel, of course!

Notepad

Me and my partner always have a conversation before the match. Up until a few months ago, we would always discuss our opponents, but we have now switched our tactic and we just try to focus on what we want to do with our game.

We used to say things like, 'He (an opponent) has an amazing smash or amazing volleys, we have to be careful,' but we don't do that any more as it can be negative for you.

Instead, we try to focus on what we want to do with our shots and our game. For example, we'll say, 'We have to try to make pressure here and create chances for the vibora, which is my best shot.' We try to speak more about our game, than the others' game.

Usually, this is all in our heads, but sometimes we write something on paper. If we've lost a match, we sit down with our coach, re-watch the stream and try to see where the mistakes were and get that in our heads to work on that. We don't really watch our wins again, only if we want to see one particular aspect.