Tennis

The 3 Ambitions: Skill, Health, and Return

Performance

Tennis demands a lot of our bodies, and enhancing our physical conditioning opens the gate to improved skill.

help me improve my performance

A brown teddy bear with bandages, depicting a playful take on injury recovery in a minimalist setting.

Stay Healthy

Injuries happen, but most are preventable. Learn how to reduce your risk of injury, and enhance your resistance.

Help me prevent injuries

Two archers practice indoors, one using a wheelchair, showcasing determination and skill.

Getting Back…

Injuries, whether on the court or off, are sometimes unavoidable. Getting back on the court takes time, and a good system!

help me get back to tennis

Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS) Credential Information

The CTPS training is provided by the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) and is considered the gold standard certification for tennis fitness. This certification encompasses everything from developing a physical training program tailored to a professional tennis player’s schedule to conducting a specific needs analysis, providing insight into preventing injuries for sustainable play.

Since I have received my CTPS credential, I have: 1) rehabed recreational tennis players after overuse injuries or surgery, 2) served as a performance coach at a tennis club working with junior competitive athletes, and 3) educated physical therapists and fitness trainers on special considerations for enhancing care for tennis athletes of all levels.

More information on the CTPS Credential: itpa site

Individual Assessment

During this 60-minute 1:1 session, you will be guided through a warm-up, physical performance testing, and a cool-down. You will receive individual recommendations to enhance your performance and prevent injury. You can book appointments using this user-friendly link.

Book an individual performance assessment

Group Sessions

This is a 60-minute session for a small group of tennis players—a blend of a tennis-specific workout and building your understanding of injury prevention and improving fitness. You can book appointments using this user-friendly link.

Book a Group performance session

Individualized Program

If you want guidance on how to tailor your physical fitness training to your specific goals, Daniel can provide recommendations to help you reach your potential. You can book appointments using this user-friendly link.

Purchase Performance Program

Enhancing Performance is Simple, Not Easy

Having a tried and true systematic approach to the way that you train your body and mind is the key to consistent improvement. Whether you’re a 2.0 or a 5.0, there’s always room to grow- and nothing beats the feeling of playing your best and leveling up your game. Here are the steps for a successful performance plan:

Sport Specific Analysis

Required movements: squat, lunge, rotate, press, rotate…
Energy systems used: phosphocreatine, glycolytic, aerobic
Common tennis-specific injuries that can be prevented

Athlete Assessment

Chronological age and training age (years of experience)
Training status: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Specific goals: power, endurance, strength…

Physical Assessment

The 4 Elements: Motion, Force, Motor Control, Energy
– Motion: amount of mobility for each joint/muscle/nerve
– Force: size and output capacity of muscles/tendons
– Motor Control: the nervous system efficiency
– Energy: endurance of different body systems

Establish a Training Plan

What do I do?
– Specific exercise selection based on assessment
– Training load (intensity/effort)
– Training volume (reps & sets)
– Rest intervals
When do I do it?
– Training frequency (days/week)
– Order of exercises for each session

Periodization

Shifting training priorities for a program based on:
– Needs: needs change as you change
– Stress: tournaments, work, vacation, school, and life
– Progress: ensure consistent improvement
– Recovery

Assess Progress

Reassessing the 4 Elements
– Motion
– Force
– Motor Control
– Energy

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Lets build your program

A Lifetime Sport With Benefits… and Costs

Injuries

It’s no secret that sometimes folks get injured playing tennis. We have all experienced this, whether from our injury or playing with someone who is hurt. Sometimes, we can walk it off, take a day or two, and return to the court. However, sometimes, these injuries keep us off the court or limit our playing for some time.

At all levels, 85% of injuries that occur while playing tennis are to the muscle and/or tendon. The musculotendinous unit (muscle + tendon) allows us to produce force from the ground to the ball. If a musculotendinous unit becomes painful or injured, this changes how we produce force. Whether it’s in the knee, and we’re limited in our ability to drive through our legs on a serve, or in our elbow, and we have pain with every forehand, our play is hindered.

GOOD NEWS! Most of these injuries are classified as “overuse” and not “traumatic.” “Overuse” occurs over time from repeated excessive stress/strain to an area of the body. This is good news because these can be prevented by preparing your body for the demands of the sport we all love, and they can be recovered from with guided attention.

Common Muscle / Tendon Injuries

Upper Body

Shoulder
– rotator cuff tendinopathy

Elbow/Arm
– lateral epicondylalgia
– medial epicondylalgia

Wrist
– extensor carpi ulnaris tendinopathy

Trunk

Thorax
– intercostal strain

Low Back
– paraspinal muscle strain

Abdomen
– abdominal strain

Lower Body

Hip/Groin
– adductor strain

Knee/Thigh
– quad strain
– hamstring strain
– patellar/quad tendinopathy

Ankle/Calf
– calf strain

How to Prevent Muscle & Tendon Injuries

Short Answer:

Tennis-specific strength & conditioning

Long(er) Answer:

Preventing tennis injuries requires more than just good technique; it involves preparing the whole body and mind for the demands of the game. Since most tennis injuries involve muscles and tendons, mainly from repetitive stress and abrupt directional changes, prevention should focus on conditioning key systems: cardiovascular and pulmonary fitness to support endurance and recovery; tennis specific movement neuromuscular training to improve force output, coordination, and joint stability; and psychological readiness to improve reaction time and resiliency. A well-rounded, sport-specific program integrating these systems can significantly reduce the risk of overuse injuries and keep players performing at their best.

Areas of high demand in tennis:

Motion: knee, hip, spine, and shoulder mobility
Force: Strength (ankle, knee, hip, spine, shoulder, elbow, and wrist/hand); Power (knee, hip, spine, shoulder)
Motor Control: sensing your environment and body, movement decision making, movement execution, and reactive control
Energy: cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neuromuscular endurance

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Make a program to prevent injuries

Returning to Tennis Following Injury

Symptom Management
1. Decrease pain, swelling, and other symptoms you may be experiencing

Restore MOTION
1. Restore the ability of the joint(s) and soft tissue to move their full arc of motion

FORCE Restoration: Part 1
1. Load tolerance
2. Force activation & control
3. Hypertrophy

MOTOR CONTROL
1. Simple pre-planned movements
2. Graded complexity to movements (e.g. multiple joints, challenge stability, add reaction component)

FORCE Restoration: Part 2
1. Peak force (strength)
2. Rate of force (power)

Return to Play (RTP)
1. Establish warm-up and cool-down routines
2. Guided return to being on the court (takes 1-6 weeks, depending how long you’ve been off the court)

ENERGY
1. Build cardiovascular endurance
2. Enhance pulmonary (breathing) efficiency during tennis
3. Bolster neuromuscular endurance
** Energy can be included into earlier “phases”

Return to Performance
1. Continue to build strength, power, and endurance
2. Start boosting your skills

Injury Prevention
1. Continue the exercises recommended to prevent the injury you had
2. Can include prevention of other injuries as well

The Significance of the “KINETIC CHAIN”

The idea of the “KINETIC CHAIN” is that no one part of our body operates independently of the others.

Take a look at the picture below for reference:

We generate force from the ground up during any tennis ground stroke. The force comes from the ground, up through the legs > hips > trunk > shoulder > elbow > wrist before that force is transmitted to the tennis ball. That is what you see in picture A on the left.

However, in picture B on the right, you will see the hips are missing from the chain. This could be due to an injury to that area, or moving differently to avoid re-injuring an area. This means the force is generated from the ground and into the legs, and that force gets lost because the hips are not transmitting the force up the KINETIC CHAIN. Now, the force you generate into the ball begins from your trunk, which means that to produce the same force you would have if you used your hips, the rest of the chain has to pick up the slack. This can then lead to increased risk of overuse injuries and inefficient energy use.

Good rehabilitation looks like picture A, not picture B!

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Make a comprehensive rehab program

References & Resources

Fu MC, Ellenbecker TS, Renstrom PA, Windler GS, Dines DM. Epidemiology of injuries in tennis players. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018;11(1):1-5. doi:10.1007/s12178-018-9452-9

USTA Sports Medicine: Musculoskeletal Injuries
https://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/Improve-Your-Game/Sport-Science/114401_Sports_Medicine_Musculoskeletal_Injuries/

Sports Medicine: Injuries, Technique and Conditioning
https://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/Improve-Your-Game/Sport Science/114397_Sports_Medicine_Injuries_Technique_and_Conditioning/

USTA Sport Science Committee. Tennis Technique, Tennis Play, and Injury Prevention. White Paper. United States Tennis Association

International Tennis Performance Association. Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS) Workbook and Study Guide. V2. Marietta, GA: International Tennis Performance Association.