Warm Up

Tennis players must keep their limbs warm and their minds sharp during a tennis match. Warm-up exercises and stretches are integral for body flexibility and preventing injury.

Tennis injuries are not uncommon due to the repetitive nature of the game. But a majority of tennis injuries can be prevented by making warm-up, cool-down and stretching a regular part of your pre and post-match tennis routine.

We all know what usually happens when you take an elastic band that has not been stretched for some time and try and stretch it to its max — it will likely snap. However, if you stretch it gently and warm up the rubber band, it becomes capable of stretching further. The same applies to the muscles and tendons in the body; if you attempt to stretch them too far in the first instance, then there’s a high likelihood of pulling a muscle, or at worst rupturing a tendon.

This is why tennis players should always include a proper warm-up and stretching regime before they play. Investing time both pre-match and post-match by doing a thorough warm up and warm down is a great way of boosting your injury prevention methods.

So How Should Tennis Players Warm Up?

Many tennis and stretching novices fall into the trap of thinking that bouncing up and down and touching your toes a few times are sufficient ways of warming up. Wrong! Trying to stretch a cold muscle is not advisable.

A tennis warm-up should start with some walking or gentle jogging to get the heart pumping. This raises the body temperature and readies the heart and lungs for exercising as well as warming the muscles. You should do this to the point that you begin to perspire.

On reaching this point it recommended that you do some dynamic stretching, which means doing stretches with movement, such as a lunge. The real key to stretching pre-play is to get your muscles moving in the same way they will during your tennis match. You can do this with a series of dynamic stretches that mimic the movements of tennis, including high-steps, arm circles, quick racket swings, and lunges, but they should be done in a controlled manner so as not to overstretch.

You can then go on to have a practice hit, but starting slowly and gradually building up the pace. Remember, always save your practice serves for last. The serve puts the most pressure on the body, so it’s best to be fully warmed up before attempting a serve. Also, don’t warm-up too early as the benefits are lost after about 30 minutes of inactivity.

How Should Tennis Players Warm Down?

There’s a temptation to overlook the warm-down in favour of a celebratory or commiseratory drink, but you should save that for after the warm-down. The warm-down gradually brings down the heart rate and removes lactic acid that has built up in muscles. A proper warm-down minimizes the risk of muscle soreness.

The cool-down should consist of a gentle jog followed by stretching. Seeing as the muscles and tendons will be thoroughly warmed up after a game, the body will be better able to cope with some static stretches (i.e. stretching without movement) post-play, for example, touching your toes.

The Most Effective Type of Stretching

Dynamic stretching is one of the best ways to warm-up for tennis. Dynamic stretches consist of small bursts of muscle activity without static stretching (holding a pose for 20–60 seconds). Research has shown that static stretching is a better way to cool down and mitigate soreness.

Types of Tennis Stretches

Tennis involves quick movements in many directions, so players need to perform stretches that target different muscle groups. Here are four dynamic stretches to incorporate into your stretching routine.

1. Straight leg march. This stretch targets your lower back muscles, hamstrings, and glutes. To perform this lower-body stretch, stand straight, raise your left arm to hip level, and lock your knees. Next, lift your right leg, stretching it up to meet your left hand. Repeat using your right arm and left leg. Perform two sets of 10 reps per leg.
2. Hand walks. This full-body stretch targets your shoulders, hamstrings, and core muscles. To perform a hand walk, bend over until both of your hands are flat on the ground. Walk your hands forward until your back is almost extended. Keeping your legs straight, inch your feet towards your hands, then walk your hands forward again. Perform two sets of five reps.
3. Standing trunk rotations. Trunk rotations help improve balance and body stability by targeting the paraspinal muscle that stabilizes your lower back. To perform this upper body stretch, stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, extend your arms out in front of you, and place your hands on top of each other. Gently rotate your torso to each side. Perform two sets of 10 reps.
4. Lateral lunges. Lateral lunges target your inner thighs, quads, and glutes. To perform this lower body stretch, stand straight and lower your hips. With a secure stance, take a big step to the side with one leg, bending at the knee, while keeping your other leg straight. Hold for a few seconds before switching to the other leg. Perform two sets of 10 reps.

Tennis Warm-Up Exercises

A warm-up routine can physically prepare you for a match and prevent potential tennis injuries. Here are six exercises that you can incorporate into your next warm-up routine.

1. Jumping rope. Jumping rope for a few minutes during your warm-up routine can increase your speed, agility, balance, and coordination. If you don’t own a jump rope, jogging in place while performing arm circles is another way to add cardio and shoulder movement to your warm-up routine.
2. Jumping jacks. Jumping jacks can help you prepare for the range of motions that you perform in tennis while also increasing your heart rate and building endurance. Start off with two sets of 25.
3. For three to five minutes, mimic the motions and movements you usually perform in a tennis game. Practice forehands, backhands, volleys, service motions, and overheads to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the game.
4. Knee lifts. Tennis requires rigorous full-body movement. While standing in place, raise your arms to hip level and lift your knees to touch them. Perform three sets of knee lifts for 15 to 30 seconds at a time.
5. Butt kicks. Butt kicks are a jump-training exercise that targets your knees, glutes, quads, calf muscles, and hamstrings. While standing in place, lift your left heel up toward your glutes, return to standing position, then lift your right heel using the same motion. Perform three sets of butt kicks for 15 to 30 seconds at a time.
6. Mini-tennis. Before you can take powerful swings from the baseline, you should practice them on a smaller scale. Starting at the center of the service line — also called the “T” — rally with another player, keeping the tennis ball within the service boxes. Mini-tennis helps you get in the groove of your groundstrokes and volleys without expending too much energy right away.