CBD (cannabidiol) has arrived in tennis.  John Isner has signed tennis’ first CBD sponsorship. Isner announced his endorsement deal with Defy. Defy makes  performance drink infused with high quality hemp extract.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) permits the use of CBD in-competition, although all other cannabinoids are still prohibited in-competition. It’s important to understand  that CBD products may still contain other prohibited cannabinoid components, such as THC.  Athletes who use CBD are taking a big risk,  as according to anti-doping rules the athletes are strictly liable for any substance found in their blood or urine.

DEFY’s  product formulation is based on hydration, electrolytes, quick replacement of vital nutrients as well as taste. The 20mg/bottle provides the optimal amount of performance-spectrum CBD for individuals and athletes of all sizes.

CBD Improves Recovery Time

CBD works as an anti-inflammatory, and this is what makes it so useful to athletes.

Like most athletes, tennis players deal with stress to the body, and this is mostly seen in the form of inflammation and soreness. CBD  prevents inflammation through a complex network known as the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). CBD suppresses the elements that cause swelling and soreness.  In addition, CBD  releases more of the sleep hormone, melatonin, and with enhanced sleep comes faster recovery.

CBD Improves Performance

CBD improves performance by reducing anxiety and increasing focus. Athletes use CBD before competitions to  reduce anxiety and to improve performance. It has been shown to improve decision making in athletes, giving them a competitive edge.

CBD Effectively Treats Pain

Athletes’ joints and muscles develop pain temporarily due intense work outs almost every single day. Taking CBD before and after a workout reduces the impact that working out may have on the body, and reduces pain .

It is not clear how many of the top tennis players use CBD.  Players don’t discuss its use publicly as they don’t discuss data analytics or any other technology that gives them an edge on the tennis court.

We know that Novak Djokovic uses hyperbaric chamber to speed up recovery after long matches. We normally breathe in in 20% oxygen and under pressurized conditions, the chamber allows athletes to breathe in 100% oxygen and is very beneficial to the body.

What is Hawk-Eye?

Hawk-eye is the name of a line-calling system which traces a ball’s trajectory and sends it to a virtual-reality machine. In addition to tennis, it is also used in other sports such as cricket, soccer, badminton and snooker.

Who owns Hawk-Eye?

Hawk-eye system is owned by Sony. It was originally developed in the UK by Pawl Hawkins. It was launched in 2001.  Miami Open was the first official tennis tournament to use Hawk-eye. Today, Hawk-eye is used in almost all the tournaments.  In addition to the show courts, outer courts also have Hawk-eye at many tournaments.

How does Hawk-Eye work?

Hawk-Eye uses six to ten cameras situated around the court. The cameras capture 60 high-resolution images per section.  At least five cameras cover every bounce of the ball. A centralized computer reads in the video in real time, and tracks the path of the tennis ball on each camera. These six separate views are then combined together to produce an accurate 3D representation of the path of the ball.

How accurate is Hawk-Eye?

The Hawk-Eye system has a 2.2mm margin of error. Some research studies have claimed that it can be off by as much as 10mm. That’s because the ball can move too quickly to be properly captured on camera as all cameras have a finite frame-speed.

Why is Hawk-Eye not used at the French Open?

First, there are marks on clay that an umpire could use to make a decision. It’s not always easy.  Umpires have used the wrong ball mark in big matches.

Hawk-Eye has a margin for error, and a mark, at least theoretically, doesn’t. Using Hawk-eye on clay may result in situations where the mark and Hawk-Eye results don’t align and it could undermine trust in the replay system on other surfaces.