Professional tennis players expend tons of energy during match play, especially if you’re Andy Murray, who competes long and hard and generally advances deep into tournaments. What does the Scot eat to refuel after grueling competition? A lot of protein, he says! Murray, at 6-foot-3 inches, says he enjoys protein shakes immediately following the match.

 “You can lose 2 to 3 kilos [4 to 6 pounds].  Matches like that, you don't drink properly.  Obviously when you finish you're still burning calories. I just need to make sure I stay topped up on that.  If you don't, you'll be tired going into the next match,” he says.  Murray adds that he tries to consume 150 grams of protein throughout tournaments to help repair muscles. “Yeah, just really a lot. I need to eat a lot…for dinner I'll have fish one night, chicken the next, then steak.  Try not to have the same thing every day.” 

Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes and nuts have substantial amounts of protein. So, how much protein should you, an average recreational athlete, consume? Well, that depends on your age, stature and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in pounds by .37. The number indicates the daily minimum one should consume. For instance, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person 74 grams.