Before his first-round match at Wimbledon, US No 21 seed Tommy Paul stepped into the All England Club's new recovery suite and laid down on a strange zigzag-shaped bed. Hydrogen gas was pumped through his nostrils as his body experienced multiwave light, pulsed electromagnetic, and sound therapy from the £128,000 Ammortal Chamber, which claims to be 'the fastest way to reset, recharge and rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit'.
Player Reactions to the Ammortal Chamber
Paul described the experience: 'It was cool. I'm not sure what it does because I fell asleep. But it was great. I felt very rested for sure.' Marc Violone, co-owner of wellness company Recover, which worked with Wimbledon to create the recovery zone, explained: 'The Ammortal combines five research-backed modalities to balance the body and mind. It is almost as an out-of-body experience, but not to the point where you're over energised or too calm.'
Evolution of Recovery in Tennis
Laura Robson, former British No 1 and now player relations director at the All England Club, noted that the new wellness zone reflects players' increasing focus on science to aid performance. She pointed to Novak Djokovic, who has stayed at the top deep into his 30s, when once players were considered past it at 30. 'I remember playing in the US Open years ago, and it was the talk of the town that Novak was using a hyperbaric chamber. At that point, it felt so left field. But I think he's led the way. Recovery is helping people play longer. And, as the length of the calendar also gets more strenuous, it's about finding ways to make it to the end of the season without getting injured.'
Robson added: 'Things have massively changed. Ice baths were already a thing and still are a thing but recovery wasn't something that people thought about too much. You'd have either the tour physio or an ice bath, and that was about it. But within the last two or three years, it has changed. It started with people travelling around with Normatec compression boots and it just kind of progressed from there. Now we've got these amazing facilities, and we want to make sure that we're creating a space that people feel is beneficial and is going above and beyond what they are used to.'
Facilities at Wimbledon's Player Wellness Centre
This year, players can use massage guns, compression boots, Game Ready devices for hot and cold compression therapy, and a NuCalm headset to enhance sleep quality. The wellness centre also offers nutritious food and coffee, and next year a second floor will be added to the state-of-the-art gym. US player Jenson Brooksby said: 'Every 1% can really help when we're trying to make deep runs here. So I'm glad to see it. I hope other tournaments follow suit.'
Focus on Flow State and Future Developments
Violone highlighted the evolving science of recovery: 'We are focused on utilising research-backed recovery technologies to help people with sleep, stress and soreness. Because elite athletes need to recover in an elite way. We also know that when athletes are competing with tension, it has negative effects. They want to operate in a flow state, so keeping them in the zone mentally is a huge part of our focus in the recovery suite.' When asked if past stars like John McEnroe could use the suite, Robson said: 'He's not playing in the invitational matches this year, otherwise he'd be able to get into the recovery spaces. But I'd be happy to show him where it is.'
