Tennis isn’t just a sport we love to watch on TV—it’s a wildly effective workout that requires endurance, agility, and speed. It’s been linked with benefits like lower obesity rates, reduced incidence of heart disease, and overall improved health, per a 2020 study in the International Journal of Exercise Science1.
Experts in This Article
Life Time tennis leader and coach
an orthopedic surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
“Tennis is a fantastic full-body workout and is great for cardiovascular fitness and longevity,” says Life Time tennis leader and coach Gordon Reid.
However, becoming a great tennis player doesn’t just happen when you’re serving balls. If you want to truly crush your next tennis match, it’s important to do off-court tennis training exercises that strengthen the areas of your body that are targeted most during the game.
“Practicing a tennis-specific strength and mobility routine outside of the court just a couple times a week can boost your on-court performance and help reduce the chance of common joint and soft tissue injuries, like tennis elbow,” Reid says.
Getting fit for tennis
When doing off-court tennis training exercises to level up your tennis game, focus on these key areas to prepare your body (and mind!) for success.
1. Tissue tolerance
First, you need to prime your body to avoid injury, which can otherwise quickly derail your tennis game.
The most commonly injured area in tennis is the shoulder (22 percent), followed by the elbow (19 percent), ankle (17 percent), wrist (16 percent), and knee (12 percent), per a 2023 study on adolescent tennis players in the Turkish Journal of Sports Medicine2.
“Include specific prehabilitation exercises targeting common tennis injuries, such as rotator cuff strengthening for shoulder stability and eccentric exercises for the Achilles tendon,” Reid says.
Also be mindful of how quickly you amp up your tennis practice. You should gradually increase the volume and intensity of your tennis games to give your body the chance to adapt.
2. Endurance and mental toughness
To be a successful tennis player, you need to not hold up physically and mentally. Practice building up your cardiovascular health with cross-training, like running, cycling, and swimming.
“You might also consider high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which can mimic the stop-and-go nature of tennis matches,” Reid says.
Meanwhile, prepare for a match by simulating game conditions that build your mental toughness.
“Practice specific skills, such as serving under pressure or playing tie-breakers, to prepare for high-stress situations in matches,” Reid says.
3. Resistance training focused on rotational strength
In particular, focus on exercises that improve rotational strength and power, such as medicine ball throws and woodchoppers. Rotational strength is crucial for powerful strokes, Reid says.
For overall strength, focus on compound movements like deadlifts and bench presses.
You can also incorporate resistance bands into your strength training to build muscles with a 360-degree approach.
“When you’re serving tennis balls, you need different types of strength in different muscle fibers.”—Melvin Rosenwasser, MD
“This works the muscle in both directions, which builds a more coordinated type of strength,” says Melvin Rosenwasser, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “When you’re serving tennis balls, for instance, you need different types of strength in different muscle fibers.”
4. Dynamic and static stretching
Stretching is a functional component of movement and can help increase your flexibility, lower the risk of injury, prevent muscle soreness, and improve performance in your game, per the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Dynamic stretching refers to moving parts of your body to gradually increase reach or speed of movement, which can help increase muscle temperature and blood flow. These stretches can include leg swings, arm circles, and torso twists, Reid says.
Static stretching involves slowly and gently stretching the muscle to the point of slight discomfort and then holding for 15 to 30 seconds, which helps to increase the range of motion in your joints and the flexibility of your target muscle. Tennis players should aim to do static stretching twice per day, particularly after exercise or in the evenings, per the ITF.
“For static stretching post-tennis, focus on muscles that are heavily used during play, such as the hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and forearms,” Reid says.
5. Agility and speed
Tennis involves quick reactions, which you can practice in your off-court tennis training exercises.
“Incorporate plyometric exercises like box jumps and jump squats to improve explosive power,” Reid says.
You can also use reaction drills with a partner or coach to enhance your reflexes and quick decision-making on the court. These might include mirror drills (copy your partner’s movements as quickly as possible) or a simple game of catch and toss (throw a ball back and forth at various speeds and heights).
Finally, something as simple as sprints can help you build up the speed to effectively move across the court.
“Create a marked distance that’s compatible with a tennis court—say, 20 or 25 feet—and run from line to line,” Dr. Rosenwasser says. “Also do side-to-side movements where you’re shuffling your left foot over your right, and back. That’s the kind of movement you need to be able to get to the balls and return them.”
6 off-court tennis training exercises you can do anywhere
This workout is designed by Life Time personal trainer and tennis specialist Joe Meier, CPT, and demonstrated by Reid. It will improve your tennis game by boosting strength and mobility, while also preventing injury.
Complete two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps for each exercise, two to three times per week.
“It’s a great workout for off days from tennis or as a pregame warmup,” Reid says.
1. Standing shoulder external rotation with anchored resistance
This exercise will strengthen your shoulder stability, which is crucial for strokes when playing tennis.
Set-up
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