Using creatine in tennis, useful or useless?

Athletes all over the world do believe that creatine will improve their results but research has shown that there is good reason to weigh the pros and cons before using it.

Who are using creatine?

A lot of top players from both ATP and WTA are using creatine in trying to enhance their performance. Mary Pierce, Amanda Coetzer and many other professional players are using creatine. It was Mary Pierce’s ex fiancé, baseball player, Roberto Alomar who introduced her to the substance when they started dating.

‘Anyone can use creatine’, Pierce said. ‘You can buy it at any health food store. I use it to train and to prevent injuries. It makes my muscles a lot stronger so I can work out harder and longer and recover more quickly’

Pierce’s shoulder and back muscles are very well developed but when she stops taking creatine she says that her body will reduce to her normal slim form. ‘I don’t use it all the time’ she said. ‘I take it when I am training and when I need that little extra push. It just makes me feel a little bit stronger. And if I feel good physically, I am also stronger mentally’.

What is creatine?

Creatine is an organic substance produced by the liver, the pancreas and the kidneys. Creatine is also digested, daily one or two grams, through food by eating meat and fish. The substance creates energy for a short and intense strain, like setting up a sprint or lifting something heavy. The amount of creatine produced by the body is enough for 8 to 12 seconds of maximum strength. Extra creatine can prolong that period. Creatine is not on the international doping list.

The French scientist Chevreul was the first who identified creatine in 1832. When the stored energy in the body is used during activities, energy has to come from all kind of sources. One source for energy is a substance called ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate), when the muscles are called upon to work this ATP is broken down to ADP (adenosine di-phosphate), when the energy stored in ATP is released. The remaining product ADP is like a dead battery and needs to be recharged, done by a substance called phosocreatine (creatine and phosphorous). This substance is very effective for this process but only for a limited time, less than 30 seconds. When the supply can no longer meet the muscles demand for energy the body must search for new sources to supply the ATP. Taking extra creatine will solve this problem.

During the 1998 US Open 56 out of 106 professional male tennis players surveyed had tried creatine, 43 had done so for more than a one-week trial. The majority had tried creatine to enhance power, endurance and reduce fatigue. Only one player had said that cramping occurred less frequent. This informal survey showed that creatine use was prominent among the male professional tennis players. Many players also stated that they discovered side effects after using creatine and also many players said they had some sort of performance enhancement as a result of using creatine.

Research.

The Royal Dutch Lawn Tennis Association recently held a research sponsored by The Dutch Olympic Committee and the International Tennis Federation. Unlike the survey held during the 1998 US Open the research was achievement-oriented, held at the German High school of Sports (Sporthochschule) Cologne, Germany. Before this research there where no research-results about the effect of creatine in tennis specific studies.

The research was held between 48 players who are playing competition in the same level. They had to use creatine for five week or a placebo. The group was set on an equal training schedule and tested before and after they had started their use of the supplement to see the difference between the creatine and the placebo users.

For testing the benefits of creatine in tennis the group had to work through a program of all sorts of tennis related tests. They first had to serve ten times aiming for the ace, left to right inside servicecourt. The precision and speed were measured. The average speed of 155 k/h with four balls on the spot seemed to be most attainable. Same sort of tests were done with backhand and forehands. Goals were laid out on court to measure accuracy in winners. Between the test series things like heartbeats and lactic acid were measured.

After the shot accuracy test the participants were tested on strength and speed. For this test they had to lift weights and do push-ups. Later that day the tested players had to participate in a run and sprint exercise. The tests were done three times, spread of three weeks and the players had to keep a diary about how they were feeling, if they had muscular pain or if they were having a cramp.

The research team is still analysing the latest test result but some players already said they have become better players. But some of them were in fact in the placebo group. The doctor, Babette Pluim, who conducted the test said; ‘Playing better tennis due to creatine is a utopian dream, but creatine has some effect combined with power training. The tested players were getting more physical strength’. Research so far showed one factor to enhance the tennis performance. ‘I wont recommend it to amateur players, they will suffer from cramping. Top players can benefit from using creatine, good food and a good training program are essential for that’.

There was also some good results of speed with serving, the player who were using creatine and did do power training improved their serving speed with an average of 5 k/h. Also backhands were hit faster. ‘So the group who used creatine with power training had more power than the group using power training without the creatine. And also the sprint tests had a better result for this first group. The average time at 20 meter went from 3.15 seconds to 3.06 seconds. Not a big difference but more than I expected’ said doctor Babette Pluim.

Side effects.

Although the tests prove there are some good results after using creatine there are some medical concern regarding the use of creatine.

One side effect seems to be weight gain; research shows that water is following creatine into the cell. So the weight factor could be water. There is also a theory that the water stimulates muscle growth and that the weight gain is a result of bigger muscles.

Other reports mention cramping, muscle strain, dizziness, diarrhoea, headaches, abdominal pain, dehydration, heat exhaustion and constipation. A French report published by The French Agency of Medical Security for Food said that creatine could lead to cancer. The report speaks of a “potential carcinogenic risk’ for users of the product. The agency also said that the use of creatine should be regarded as “contrary to the rules, spirit and significance of sport” and that it should be considered to add creatine to the list of banned products. The sale of creatine is already banned in France.

Almost every report is ended with the conclusion that the user has to stick to the rules when taking creatine and be attentive to the side effects. It can be a big help but it also can work against the user.