Hubert Hurkacz has been on a vegan diet since 2018. Hurkacz has said that his inspiration for a vegan diet came from food programs on TVs and talking to others on a vegan diet. He tried it and he felt that the vegan diet gave him more energy. So he has continued with his vegan diet.

Studies have shown that vegan diets increase endurance and strength. Hurkacz has produced excellent results since turning vegan. In 2021, he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and won the Miami Open Masters title.

Very few tennis players on the tour are vegan. Novak Djokovic is mostly on a vegan diet though he has talked about eating fish and eggs occasionally. It is believed that Djokovic is currently on a plant-based diet and avoids dairy.

Venus Williams switched to a vegan diet in 2011 after being diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome. Her sister Serena Williams also became vegan in 2017.

Basketball player Chris Paul has attributed his late-career resurgence to his vegan diet. Paul has said that the diet helped with his overall health, performance, and recovery after games. His experience with the vegan diet even led him to invest in Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat substitute company.

Mohamed Lahyani is one of the most admired and respected umpires on the tennis tour. Here is one more reason to admire Lahyani. When Indian Wells matches were interrupted by rain this week, Lahyani was seen picking up trash along with the tournament ushers.

In 2014, a survey of journalists at the World Tour Finals voted Mohamed Lahyani as the best chair umpire. But Lahyani’s umpiring career has not been without controversies. At the 2018 US Open, he encouraged Nick Kyrgios to try harder in his match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Lahyani was suspended for two tournaments for his behavior.

Lahyani was the chair umpire for the longest match ever played – John Isner Vs Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. Lahyani was born in Morocco but his family moved to Sweden when he was a child. He currently lives in Spain.