7 Strength Exercises for Tennis That’ll Boost Your Performance On the Court
These muscle-building and mobility-boosting exercises for tennis players will help you take your game to the next level.
By Karla Walsh•
Why Strength Training Is Important In Tennis
7 of the Best Exercises for Tennis Players
4 Bonus Tips for Training to Improve Your Tennis Game
If you’re a tennis player with a mission to hit more aces, your first instinct is probably to practice more serves. That’s certainly an important part of the process, though it shouldn’t be your only strategy; research shows that strength and conditioning training is one of the most effective ways to help improve everything from your shots to your speed and stamina.
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“Strength training is such a game-changer for tennis players—and for people involved in any sports,” says Peloton instructor Assal Arian. Ahead, we’ll reveal why, then coach you through how to perform the best mobility and strength exercises for tennis players so you can make the most of future matches.
Why Strength Training Is Important In Tennis
We’re not suggesting that you skip classic drills like volleys, forehand and backhand strokes, overhead smashes, and serves. Rather, strength training is a stellar supplement to all of the above, and can make you a stronger athlete and a healthier human, according to Jackie Sanders, a doctor of physical therapy and endurance medicine specialist at Anchor Wellness.
Sanders likes to compare strength training for tennis players to eating your vegetables. It’s wise to do this before enjoying “dessert”—or time on the court. “While strength training might not be the lion’s share of your prep as a tennis player, it should be integrated into any balanced routine,” Sanders says.
Some of the biggest wins you’ll score via strength training exercises for tennis:
Increased explosiveness and power. “You want that snap in your serve and the ability to sprint to the net or recover baseline to baseline? That comes from super strong legs, glutes, and a powerful core,” Assal says. Research suggests a one-two punch of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training is the best training combo to boost power and sprinting endurance in tennis players.
Lower risk for injuries. “Tennis is a full-body workout that integrates motion in all three primary planes,” Sanders says. To optimize performance and reduce the risk for injuries, she adds that it’s vital to be strong and stable in all three planes of motion: sagittal (left to right), frontal (front to back), and transverse (twisting). Due to the repetitive movements required in the sport, tennis players tend to have tight hip flexors, hamstrings, and backs. Many also have an imbalance between low back and ab strength, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). “Strength training helps balance your body and protect the areas that get overused, especially your shoulders, knees, and hips,” Assal adds.
Reduced fatigue. When your muscles are stronger, your movement becomes more efficient, Assal notes. This allows you to stay “focused and energized even during longer matches or tough rallies,” she says.
Improved overall well-being. “Resistance training makes us healthier humans in general: we sleep better, have more balanced blood sugar, and have more muscle, to name a few of many benefits,” Sanders says. Additional benefits of strength training include stronger bones, a brighter mood, and healthier body fat levels. “We perform our best in sport when we are healthy humans first,” Sanders adds.
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7 of the Best Exercises for Tennis Players
Full body workouts will help make you a well-rounded athlete. That said, there are a few specific focus areas that are especially beneficial for tennis players, Sanders says. That includes hip strength and stability, rotator cuff resilience, core strength, power production and explosiveness, and ankle proprioception and stability.
We asked Sanders, Assal, and Catherine Powell, a doctor of physical therapy and the owner of Powerful Physical Therapy, to serve up the best exercises for tennis players. All of the options below are “designed to boost performance and support longevity on the court,” Assal says.
Goblet Squats
Not only do goblet squats build “leg and glute strength for explosive sprints and stable lunges on court,” according to Assal, but they also improve hip mobility, support stronger posture, and increase grip strength.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance apart, with your toes pointed slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest, with elbows bent.
Keeping your core engaged, back straight, chest upright, and the weight held tight to your body, push your hips back and bend your knees to sink into a squat.
Pause when your thighs are parallel with the floor, or just below it, if your mobility allows. At the lowest point of the squat, your elbows should be positioned on the insides of your knees, ensuring that your knees remain in line with your toes throughout the exercise.
Engage your glutes and drive your feet into the floor to stand up and return to start.
Reverse Lunges
Ideal for reinforcing single-leg strength, improving balance, and gearing up the ankles and knees for directional changes, Assal and Powell agree that lunges are an awesome strength training exercise for tennis players. Once you’re comfortable with reverse lunges, add a dumbbell in each hand. Feel free to mix in side lunges and curtsy lunges too.
Start standing with your feet about hip-width distance apart.
Take a big step backward with your right foot, bending both knees to lower into a lunge. Pause when the front thigh is about parallel to the floor, and the back knee is hovering a few inches off the floor.
Press into the front foot to return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)
A majority of the posterior chain (i.e., muscles on the back side of the body) is engaged during this functional strength exercise. Romanian deadlifts strengthen your core, lower and mid-back, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, “all of which are powerhouse muscles for explosive movement and injury prevention,” Assal says. When you’re ready for an additional challenge, increase the weight you’re lifting or try single-leg deadlifts.
Stand upright with shoulders back, chest open, and feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing the front of your thighs.
Keeping your core and glutes engaged, hinge at your hips to send your glutes backward. With a slight bend in your knees and your back straight throughout the movement, lower the weights toward your shins. Keep your arms straight and keep the weights close to the fronts of your legs.
When the weights reach the midpoint of your shins, pause briefly, then drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to the starting position.
Single-Arm Chest Press
This unilateral exercise is excellent for tennis since it bolsters core strength and boosts overhead stability for smashes and serves, Assal explains. With proper form, chest presses can also support rotator cuff strength.
Lie face-up on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your arm straight and extended toward the ceiling so it’s directly over your right shoulder. Extend your left arm out to the side, palm pressing into the floor.
Inhale and lower the dumbbell toward your chest, bending your right elbow so your upper arm points away from your torso at a 45-degree angle. Keep your core engaged and don’t let your chest or hips rotate to the side.
Pause at the bottom with your elbow hovering just off the ground. Then exhale to press the dumbbell up to the starting position.
That’s one rep. Do the same number of reps on both sides.
Renegade Rows
This total body move challenges your back, arms, core, and wrists, “all of which are essential for racket control and upper-body balance,” according to Assal. It’s like a plank with an extra upper body and balance bonus. If a full plank is too much, try this exercise on your knees. And if you find that your hips tend to swing, try widening your feet or knees, or use lighter weights.
Start in a high plank position with your feet about shoulder-width distance apart and hands holding onto dumbbells underneath your shoulders.
Row the right dumbbell up to your low ribs, keeping your hips level.
Lower the dumbbell to the ground and repeat on the other side. That’s one rep.
Skater Hops
Plyometric exercises like this one have been shown to improve sprint speed, increase agility, and increase single-leg jump ability—all of which will come in handy on the court. This strength exercise for tennis also weaves in a cardio challenge to give your heart a workout too. Before bounding, ensure you have a few feet of extra space on both sides of your body. As you get more comfortable with the motion, you’ll likely be able to jump a bit further.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Shift your weight onto the right leg with the left foot hovering off the ground.
Push off your right foot to jump sideways to the left, landing softly on the left foot with your knee slightly bent. Let your right leg swing behind you for balance. Hold this position for 1 second.
Push off your left foot to jump back to the right, landing softly on your right foot with your knee slightly bent.
World’s Greatest Stretch
Assal adores the world’s greatest stretch as a total-body mobility move before or after tennis “to open up hips, hamstrings, spine, and shoulders,” she says.
Start in a high plank position with your palms flat on the floor underneath your shoulders.
With your core engaged, inhale and bring your left foot to the outside of your left hand so your knee is bent and directly over your foot.
Lift your left hand and exhale while dropping your left elbow toward the floor.
Inhale and rotate your chest open toward your left knee, lifting your left hand toward the ceiling.
Exhale to place your left hand back on the floor, then shift your hips backward to straighten the left leg, stretching your hamstring.
Inhale to shift your hips forward, then step your left foot back to plank position. That’s one rep. Repeat on the opposite side.
If you’d rather follow along with a workout in real time, try any of Peloton’s Strength for Tennis classes on the Peloton App. For a complete routine, check out Peloton’s programs, including Peloton instructor Olivia Amato’s Strength for Tennis & Pickleball program or Assal’s Strength for Tennis program. The latter includes a “warm-up that fires up the right muscles,” strength work to boost stability and build stronger legs, glutes, and core, and a “full-body stretch to support recovery and feel good vibes,” Assal explains. “It’s designed to prepare your body to move with power and control.”
4 Bonus Tips for Training to Improve Your Tennis Game
Strength exercises can help you build a stronger game on days you’re not playing, but how about when you’re planning to hit the court? “Tennis is all about being prepared before and recovering after,” Assal says.
The pros suggest building these habits into your tennis routine:
Do a dynamic warm-up. Aim to warm up for at least 10 minutes, Assal says. Do dynamic stretches and moves like high knees, arm circles, bodyweight squats, and walking lunges. These “encourage mobility, activate smaller, stabilizing muscles, and increase general blood flow, all of which are boons before playing tennis,” Sanders says.
Don’t skip a cooldown stretch. After strength training or match play, take a 5- to 10-minute walk, then carve out time for 10 minutes of static stretching (holding each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds). Aim to target your hips, shoulders, and spine (say, with upward-facing dog and yoga twists).
Fuel up. Before a match, hydrate with 16–24 ounces of water, and eat an energizing high-carb pre-workout snack. Then, sip on 16–32 ounces of H2O per 30–60 minutes of training or tennis. Afterward, refuel with another 16–24 ounces of water and a balanced post-workout meal or snack, such as a piece of fruit with a couple of hard-boiled eggs.
Rest and recover. Plan on one full rest day and one active recovery day per week. On the active day, “walk, stretch, or do gentle yoga—let your body reset so you can come back stronger,” Assal suggests. High-quality sleep, foam rolling, and massage are also beneficial to help support recovery, release tension in myofascial tissue, and “increase nutrient-dense, oxygen-rich blood into the muscle,” Sanders notes.
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This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.
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