Tennis Fitness: Strength Work for Faster Footwork and Fewer Niggles
For most club tennis players, two short strength sessions a week do more for their game than another hour of hitting. Focus on four things: single-leg strength for pushing off and braking, fast lower-body work for the first step, a strong upper back and rotator cuff to protect the serving shoulder, and forearm work for the elbow. Keep each session to 40 to 50 minutes, put the harder one at least two days before a match, and stop the gym work from turning into a second cardio session. The court gives you plenty of that already.
What tennis actually asks of your body
A point lasts a few seconds. In that time you react, push off, decelerate, change direction, hit, and recover to position. Then you rest, and do it again for two hours. The physical qualities that decide whether you reach the ball are not long-distance fitness. They are how quickly you can produce force from a standing start and how well you can absorb it when you stop.
Braking is the part most players ignore. Every wide forehand ends with one leg taking your body weight sideways, often on a slightly bent knee. If the muscles around the hip and knee cannot control that, the joint takes the load. That is where many of the niggles come from: sore knees, tight hips, a back that complains after doubles on a Sunday.
The upper body has its own problem. The serve is one of the fastest movements in sport, and the shoulder has to decelerate the arm after contact. The muscles that do that, at the back of the shoulder, are small and often undertrained. Meanwhile the forearm grips and stabilises the racket on every shot, which is why tennis elbow is common in recreational players who have increased how much they play.
The four qualities to train
1. Single-leg strength and braking
Tennis is played on one leg at a time. Split squats, rear-foot-elevated split squats and step-ups build the strength to push off. Lateral lunges and slow, controlled lowering (three seconds down) teach the hip and knee to absorb load. For a deeper look at choosing between these, see split squat vs lunge.
2. Rate of force for the first step
Strength is the base; speed sits on top of it. Once you can split squat with good control, add low-volume fast work: lateral bounds landed and held for two seconds, squat jumps to a soft landing, and a few air bike sprints of five to eight seconds. Quality matters more than quantity. Three to five crisp reps, full rest, stop before you slow down.
3. Upper back and rotator cuff
Rows, face pulls and external rotation work at the cable station balance the forward-pulling demands of serving and forehands. These are not glamorous, but they are the cheapest insurance a tennis player can buy. Our guide to the face pull covers set-up and common faults.
4. Forearm and grip
Slow wrist extension with a light dumbbell (lift with the palm facing down, lower over three to four seconds), farmer’s carries, and wrist rotations with a hammer-style grip build tolerance in the tendons around the elbow. Tendons adapt slowly, so keep the load modest and the habit consistent.
A two-session week for club players
This plan assumes you play two or three times a week and have some lifting experience. Beginners should halve the sets for the first fortnight.
| Session A (strength) | Sets x reps | Session B (speed and resilience) | Sets x reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear-foot-elevated split squat | 3 x 6 each leg | Lateral bound and stick | 3 x 4 each side |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 6 | Goblet lateral lunge | 3 x 6 each side |
| Single-arm dumbbell row | 3 x 8 each arm | Cable external rotation | 2 x 12 each arm |
| Half-kneeling cable press | 3 x 8 each arm | Face pull | 2 x 15 |
| Pallof press | 3 x 10 each side | Slow wrist extension | 2 x 15 each arm |
| Farmer’s carry | 3 x 30 metres | Air bike sprint | 5 x 6 seconds, 60s easy |
The Pallof press trains your trunk to resist rotation, which sounds odd for a rotational sport. It is not. Power in a forehand comes from the hips turning against a stable trunk, then the trunk turning against stable hips. A trunk that leaks force under load wastes it. Rotational medicine-ball throws are useful too if you have space and a wall that can take it.
Fitting it around matches
- Put Session A early in the week, at least 48 hours before your most important match. Heavy single-leg work leaves the legs heavy for a day or two.
- Session B can sit closer to play, even the day before, because the volume is low and the fast work tends to leave you feeling sharp rather than tired.
- Never lift hard after a long match. If you played three sets on Saturday, Sunday is a walk and some mobility, not split squats.
- In a heavy tournament or league block, drop to one shorter session a week and keep the weights the same. You are maintaining, not building.
- In the quieter months, typically winter for players who do not have indoor court time, push the strength work harder. That is your off-season.
Mistakes I see in tennis players
- Training like a runner. Long jogs build a type of fitness tennis does not reward much, and add impact your knees did not need.
- All upper body, no legs. Bench press and biceps curls do little for your movement around the court.
- Agility ladders as the main event. They are fine as a warm-up. They do not build the strength that makes you fast.
- Ignoring the elbow until it hurts. Forearm work is easier as prevention than as rehab.
- Changing racket, string tension and playing volume at the same time. If the elbow starts complaining, you will not know which change caused it.
When a niggle is more than a niggle
Sore after a long match is normal. Pain that sharpens during play, wakes you at night, causes swelling, or lasts more than a couple of weeks needs a proper assessment from a physiotherapist or your GP. Check with your GP first before starting a new programme if you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or are coming back from a long break or a recent injury. The Lawn Tennis Association also publishes guidance for players and coaches if you want more on the sport itself.
Training for tennis in Highgate
The courts around Highgate, Hampstead Heath and Muswell Hill are busy all year with players who would benefit from an hour a week in a gym. Our basement studio on Archway Road has what this plan needs: dumbbells, a squat rack, a 2-stack cable station for rotator cuff and Pallof work, and an air bike for short sprints. In private 1-1 training I build sessions around your match schedule and any history of shoulder, elbow or knee trouble, and adjust week to week as your season changes. Padel players will find overlapping advice in getting fit for padel. To see how coaching works, visit the personal trainer page or the Highgate House homepage.
Questions we get asked
Will lifting weights make me slower or stiffer on court?
Not with a sensible plan. Stronger legs produce and absorb force better, which is what speed on court depends on. Stiffness usually comes from heavy sessions too close to a match.
How many times a week should a tennis player do strength training?
Two sessions is the sweet spot for most club players, dropping to one during busy competitive spells.
Can strength training prevent tennis elbow?
It cannot guarantee it, but forearm and grip work builds tendon tolerance, and managing increases in playing time matters just as much.
Should I lift before or after I play?
On separate days if you can. If it has to be the same day, play first and keep the lifting short.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · Private personal training
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
