CBD Oil and Athletic Performance: Why Wimbledon's Champions Stay Calm

By AJ, Sports Nutritionist at BulletCBD · Updated 11 November 2026

Quick answer: Wimbledon's champions stay calm because of years of training, pre-point routines, sleep and recovery habits, not because of any supplement. CBD is now permitted in sport (WADA removed it from its prohibited list in 2018), and researchers are actively testing it in athletes, but so far the best-controlled trial found no measurable effect on running performance. If you want to make CBD part of a structured routine, the 6000mg Mint CBD Oil Spray (99%+ isolate, 0% THC) is the option drug-tested athletes tend to look at first.

Every summer, the best tennis players in the world walk onto Wimbledon's grass and make split-second decisions under enormous pressure while looking almost serene. That composure is one of the most studied qualities in sport. It is also the reason so many club players, runners and gym-goers search for "CBD and athletic performance": they want to know whether a supplement can help them feel like that. This guide, rewritten for 2026, separates what we know from what is still being tested, and shows you how to build the habits that elite players actually rely on.

Why do Wimbledon champions look so calm under pressure?

They look calm because they have rehearsed calm, thousands of times, until it is automatic.

Watch a champion between points and you will see the same sequence again and again: turn away from the net, adjust the strings, towel off, a fixed number of ball bounces, a breath, then serve. Sport psychologists call these pre-performance routines. They give a busy brain a familiar job to do, narrow attention to the next action and make pressure moments feel ordinary. Grass-court tennis adds its own demands: short points, low skidding bounces and very little time to react, so a player who loses focus for two points can lose a set.

The calm you see on Centre Court is built on four foundations that have nothing to do with supplements:

• Routine: the same between-point ritual under every scoreline.
• Breathing: slow, longer exhales to bring the heart rate down between rallies.
• Sleep: consistent sleep and wake times through a two-week tournament.
• Recovery: cool-down, refuelling, hydration and physio after every match.

Those are the habits worth copying first. Everything else, including CBD, is a possible extra on top.

What is the endocannabinoid system, and why do athletes hear so much about it?

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a signalling network found throughout the human body, and it is the system CBD interacts with.

It is made up of receptors (CB1, mostly in the brain and nervous system, and CB2, mostly in immune cells and peripheral tissues), the body's own cannabinoid-like messengers such as anandamide, and the enzymes that make and break them down. Researchers describe its general role as helping the body return to balance, or homeostasis, after it is pushed in one direction by exercise, stress or lack of sleep. It is also very old in evolutionary terms and is found across vertebrate species.

Athletes hear about it because exercise itself affects it. Studies have repeatedly found that circulating anandamide rises after sustained moderate exercise, and researchers have linked this to the "runner's high". That is a fascinating piece of physiology, but it is worth being precise: it tells us exercise affects the ECS. It does not tell us that taking CBD will produce the same effect, or improve performance. That question has to be tested directly, and it now is.

Is CBD allowed in tennis and other drug-tested sports?

Yes, CBD itself is permitted, but THC is still prohibited in competition, so the product you choose matters.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed cannabidiol from its Prohibited List in 2018. Other cannabinoids, including THC, remain prohibited in competition. Because CBD is extracted from hemp, some products carry traces of THC or other cannabinoids, and poorly made or mislabelled products can contain more than the label says. That is why drug-tested athletes are usually advised to look for:

1. CBD isolate rather than broad- or full-spectrum extracts, as isolate is the lowest-risk choice.
2. A batch-specific lab report showing cannabinoid content, including THC.
3. A UK brand on the FSA public list, so the product is part of the regulated novel food process.

Even with all three, no product can guarantee a test result, and athletes remain strictly liable for anything they take. If you compete under anti-doping rules, speak to your national governing body or team doctor first. Our guide to broad-spectrum vs isolate CBD explains the difference in more detail.

What does the research say about CBD and athletic performance?

The short answer is that research is moving quickly, early findings are mixed, and well-controlled trials in athletes are still few.

The 2020 Sydney review. In 2020, Danielle McCartney and colleagues at the University of Sydney published a narrative review in Sports Medicine – Open looking at everything that might matter to athletes, from sleep to immune markers to metabolism. They concluded that the evidence was "preliminary, at times inconsistent, and largely based on preclinical studies involving laboratory animals", and that robust evidence on sleep was lacking. The authors wrote that "well controlled, studies in athlete populations are required before definitive conclusions can be reached regarding the utility of CBD in supporting athletic performance."

The 2025 running trial. The same research group then ran exactly that kind of study. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial published in Sports Medicine – Open in 2025 (Sahinovic and colleagues), 25 trained runners took a placebo, 50mg or 300mg of CBD before a 60-minute treadmill run followed by a run to exhaustion. Neither dose changed heart rate, oxygen uptake, time to exhaustion, perceived exertion, enjoyment or mood compared with placebo. The researchers' conclusion was clear: "Use of CBD by athletes is, therefore, unlikely to be ergolytic or ergogenic at low to moderate doses." In plain English, it did not appear to help or hinder performance. Note that 50mg and 300mg are well above the FSA's 10mg daily advice for healthy adults.

The 2025 Canadian athlete survey. A brief research report in Frontiers in Nutrition (Karam and colleagues, McGill University, 2025) surveyed 80 nationally carded Canadian athletes. 38% had used CBD. Among users, 93% said it improved their sleep, 90% said it improved relaxation and 77% said it reduced pain from training, while 63% disagreed that it improved physical performance and 60% disagreed that it improved focus. The researchers were careful about limitations: the sample was small, self-selected and self-reported, most users relied on trial and error and could not recall the brand, and the most common reason for avoiding CBD was concern about an anti-doping violation.

The pressure question. The most-cited study on CBD and performance pressure is older. A 2019 trial by Linares and colleagues in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry found that healthy men given 300mg of CBD reported lower anxiety during a simulated public-speaking test than those given placebo, while 150mg and 600mg did not show the same effect. It was a small, single-dose lab study at a dose 30 times the FSA's daily advice, and it has not been tested on a tennis court.

Study	Who was tested	Early finding	Main limitation
McCartney et al., 2020 (review)	Mostly animal and non-athlete studies	Interesting mechanisms, evidence preliminary	Very little athlete data
Sahinovic et al., 2025 (trial)	25 trained runners	No change in performance or perceived effort at 50mg or 300mg	One session, doses above 10mg
Karam et al., 2025 (survey)	80 elite Canadian athletes	Users mostly reported better sleep and relaxation, not performance	Small, self-reported, no control group
Linares et al., 2019 (trial)	57 healthy men	300mg linked to lower reported anxiety in a speaking test	Single high dose, not athletes

Taken together, the honest reading is this: athletes who use CBD mostly describe it as part of their wind-down and recovery routine rather than a performance aid, and the controlled performance data so far are neutral. That is why we never present CBD as a shortcut, and why the habits in the next section come first.

How can you build a Wimbledon-style calm routine of your own?

Copy the structure champions use: a fixed routine before you perform, a short reset during, and a consistent wind-down after.

Before training or a match

• Eat a familiar meal two to three hours before, and avoid trying anything new on match day.
• Arrive early enough to warm up without rushing. A rushed warm-up is a stressful warm-up.
• Write down one or two process goals, such as "first serve percentage" or "move my feet early", rather than outcome goals.

During: the between-point reset

• Turn away from the court, take one slow breath in and a longer breath out.
• Use a short cue word ("next", "feet", "watch") to bring attention back to the next point.
• Keep the same number of bounces or the same routine every time, whatever the score.

After: recovery and wind-down

• Cool down for five to ten minutes and stretch the hips, calves and shoulders.
• Refuel with protein and carbohydrate, and rehydrate steadily rather than all at once.
• Dim the lights and step away from screens 30 to 60 minutes before bed, and keep consistent sleep and wake times.
• If CBD is part of your routine, take it at the same time each evening so it becomes a cue that the day is done. Our winter evening routine shows how this fits around shorter days.

If you lift or race as well as play, the same principles apply. See our weightlifting recovery routine and our HYROX recovery routine for sport-specific plans.

How much CBD should an active adult take?

The Food Standards Agency advises healthy adults to limit CBD to 10mg a day, and that is the ceiling we work to.

Note that this is far lower than the doses used in most lab studies, so research doses should never be copied. Be wary of any guide that bases CBD amounts on body weight or training load, or suggests taking more on hard days. The useful skill is working out how much CBD is in each serving: divide the total mg on the bottle by the number of servings and check the serving guide on the label. Our guide to what 500mg, 1000mg and 6000mg really mean walks through the maths, and our how to take CBD page covers sprays, oils and gummies step by step.

Which BulletCBD products suit an athlete's routine?

Choose by your situation: tested athlete, evening routine, or someone who wants everything in one box.

Your situation	Best fit	Why	Price
You compete under anti-doping rules	6000mg Mint CBD Oil Spray, 30ml	99%+ isolate in C8 MCT oil, 0% THC, around 300 sprays, best value per mg in our range	£34.95 (was £64.99)
You want a fixed amount with no measuring	1000mg CBD Gummies, 100 pack	10mg per vegan gummy, which matches the FSA's daily advice exactly	£29.99, subscribe and save 10%
You want the full routine in one order	The Bullet Box	6000mg spray, gummies and Pure C8 MCT Oil together	£65.99 (was £83.93)

The 6000mg Mint CBD Oil Spray is the one I point drug-tested players to first, because isolate is the lowest-risk choice and the mint flavour makes it easy to use after a session. The 1000mg CBD Gummies suit people who want a simple, pre-measured evening habit; note that they are broad-spectrum, so tested athletes should check the batch report or stick with the isolate spray.

If you like a coffee or smoothie before training, Pure C8 MCT Oil (500ml, £18.99) is 100% C8 from coconut, unflavoured, vegan and keto-friendly, and contains no CBD. It is the same type of carrier oil used in our isolate sprays, and it mixes easily into drinks. Start with a small amount and build up.

Every BulletCBD product is made in the UK in Mansfield, FSA-validated, independently lab-tested batch by batch, vegan and 0% THC. You can read more on why athletes choose BulletCBD.

Frequently asked questions

Do professional tennis players use CBD?

There is no reliable data on tennis players specifically. The 2025 Canadian survey found that 38% of the elite athletes who responded had used CBD, but it covered many sports and only 80 athletes. CBD has been permitted by WADA since 2018, while THC remains prohibited in competition.

What does the latest research say about CBD and sports performance?

The most rigorous recent study, a 2025 University of Sydney trial in 25 trained runners, found that 50mg or 300mg of CBD did not change endurance performance, heart rate or perceived effort compared with placebo. Researchers are still exploring sleep and recovery questions, which have far less controlled data in athletes.

Can CBD make me fail a drug test?

CBD itself is not prohibited, but some products contain traces of THC, which is. Isolate is the lowest-risk choice, a batch lab report adds reassurance, and no product can guarantee a test result. Always check with your governing body if you are tested.

When should I take CBD around a match?

There is no evidence-based timing for performance. Most people who use CBD take it at a consistent time, often in the evening as part of a wind-down routine, and avoid trying anything new on match day. Keep your daily total within the FSA's 10mg advice.

Is isolate or broad-spectrum better for athletes?

For anyone who is drug-tested, isolate is the lower-risk option because it is purified CBD with other cannabinoids removed. Broad-spectrum products contain a wider range of hemp compounds and are popular with people who are not tested.

Will CBD help me play better under pressure?

We can't promise that, and nor can anyone else. The pressure research so far comes from small lab studies at high doses, not from athletes in competition. The habits that build composure, such as routines, breathing and sleep, are where your effort is best spent.

The bottom line

Wimbledon's champions are calm because they practise calm: routines, breathing, sleep and recovery, repeated until they hold up on the biggest stage. CBD is permitted in sport and researchers are studying it seriously, but the best-controlled performance trial so far was neutral, so think of it as an optional part of a consistent routine rather than a performance tool. If you want to try it, start with the 6000mg Mint CBD Oil Spray if you are drug-tested, or get the spray, gummies and C8 MCT oil together in The Bullet Box. Every order comes with free UK delivery.

CBD food supplements are not suitable for under-18s, or for anyone pregnant or breastfeeding. If you take medication, speak to your GP or pharmacist before use. This article is general information, not medical advice. Sources: McCartney D, Benson MJ, Desbrow B, Irwin C, Suraev A, McGregor IS. Cannabidiol and sports performance: a narrative review of relevant evidence and recommendations for future research. Sports Medicine – Open, 2020;6:27. Sahinovic A, et al. The acute effects of cannabidiol on physiological and subjective responses to endurance exercise: a dose-ranging randomised controlled crossover trial. Sports Medicine – Open, 2025;11:96. Karam D, et al. Cannabidiol use among elite-level Canadian athletes: the pursuit of improved sleep, pain relief, and enhanced recovery. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025;12:1711773. Linares IM, et al. Cannabidiol presents an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve in a simulated public speaking test. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 2019. World Anti-Doping Agency, Prohibited List (CBD removed 2018). Food Standards Agency, CBD guidance for consumers (10mg daily advice).