Adjustment from high altitude back to sea level

[arturohernandez]

Hi Everyone,

My daughter and I recently went to a city in central Mexico which has an elevation around 6000 feet (1877 meters). Of course, being there was quite an adjustment as the balls tend to fly. My daughter was able to practice quite a bit. We got back to Houston on Monday. She had a preseason high school match yesterday the day after getting back and did not hit at all before her match. She felt completely out of sorts. Her serve was hitting the net. She felt completely lost on her strokes. They would go short into the net a lot more than normal.

I see lots of discussion about adjusting to high altitude. But what about going to high altitude and then coming back to sea level. A few years ago I remember coming back from high altitude to Houston and just whiffing on all the balls and losing really badly.

Has anyone had experience with the return to sea level from high altitude? If so, please share them as there is nothing on the back to sea level readjustment.

[doctorhl]

I have experienced the high to low change in altitude in golf and had to get a mental adjustment real quick that club distances would be shorter. It would seem that a similar adjustment from high to low altitude in tennis requires similar mental adjustments like changing from hard court to soft courts( including differences in ball rebounds off the court). I suspect there was also a significant change in humidity which affects the ball knap/ string interaction, general ball speed and that psychological feeling of playing in a sauna.

[doctorhl]

3 sets in Houston in August equals 2 sets in Mexico City in August, maybe even 3 to 1.

[arturohernandez]

3 sets in Houston in August equals 2 sets in Mexico City in August, maybe even 3 to 1.

No Kidding. We were not as high as Mexico City but still high enough. The humidity, heat and sea level make for really different playing conditions. The ball literally goes nowhere here.

She has readjusted, although she still feels like the ball does not go anywhere. Thanks!