🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Understand the five fitness demands of tennis
- Complete a baseline fitness assessment across all key areas
- Build a balanced weekly training schedule
- Set 8-week targets for each fitness component
🎻 Tennis Fitness Audit
Assess your current fitness across the five key areas.
- Rate yourself 1-10 in each area: speed, agility, strength, endurance, flexibility
- Be honest, this is your baseline
- Anything below 5 is a priority training area
- Total your score: below 30 means fitness is significantly limiting your game
- Review in 8 weeks to measure improvement
🎻 Match Demands Analysis
Track the physical demands of one full practice match.
- Count the number of direction changes in one set
- Count the average rally length in seconds
- Note the longest and shortest points
- Calculate total on-court movement time vs rest time
- This data defines your fitness training priorities
❌ The Problem
Players think that playing lots of tennis is enough physical preparation for tennis.
✓ The Fix
Playing tennis trains tennis skills. Fitness training trains the physical qualities that allow you to express those skills in the third set of a match. Both are essential.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Fitness Test Battery
Complete these four tests and record your scores.
- 20m sprint: sprint 20 metres, record your time (good = under 3.2 seconds)
- Agility T-test: set up T-shape with cones 5m apart, weave through and back (good = under 12 seconds)
- 3-minute step test: step on and off a chair for 3 minutes, measure heart rate immediately after
- Sit-and-reach flexibility: sit with legs straight, reach forward, record how far past your toes you reach
🎻 On-Court Fitness Baseline
Test your on-court fitness with this simple drill.
- Set a timer for 20 minutes
- Play points at full intensity with no more than 20 seconds between points
- Track: how many points before your movement quality drops?
- Track: do you make more errors in the last 5 minutes than the first 5?
- Your answers identify exactly where fitness is hurting your game
❌ The Problem
Players start fitness programmes without knowing their starting point, making it impossible to measure progress.
✓ The Fix
Test before you train. Record your baseline numbers. Retest every 8 weeks. Progress that is measured is progress that is real.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Weekly Schedule Template
Build your personalised weekly training schedule.
- Monday: tennis practice + agility (30 min)
- Tuesday: strength training (45 min)
- Wednesday: tennis practice + rest or light stretch
- Thursday: endurance run + core (40 min)
- Friday: tennis practice
- Saturday: match play or full practice
- Sunday: complete rest or gentle yoga
🎻 Load Management Check
Assess whether your current schedule is balanced.
- Track your energy levels 1-10 every morning for 2 weeks
- Track your tennis performance quality 1-10 after each session
- If energy drops below 5 consistently, you are overtrained
- If performance drops below 6 consistently, fitness training is interfering
- Adjust your schedule based on this data
❌ The Problem
Players add fitness training on top of heavy tennis schedules without reducing intensity elsewhere, leading to overtraining.
✓ The Fix
Fitness training replaces low-intensity hitting sessions, not rest days. Build rest into your schedule the same way you build training in, as a non-negotiable component.
✅ Module Checklist
🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Train first-step quickness through reaction drills
- Master the split step as your movement foundation
- Build agility through ladder and cone training
- Transfer gym speed to on-court movement
🎻 Reaction Ball Drill
Use a reaction ball (or irregular bouncing ball) to train unpredictable first-step response.
- Drop a reaction ball from chest height
- Sprint to catch it before the second bounce
- Vary drop positions: left, right, in front, behind
- Progress: partner drops the ball and you cannot look until they call "GO"
- Do 3 sets of 10 drops with 30 seconds rest between sets
🎻 Mirror Drill
Two players face each other, one leads movements, the other mirrors at maximum speed.
- Stand facing your partner 2 metres apart
- Leader moves in any direction at any speed
- Follower mirrors every movement as quickly as possible
- Switch roles every 30 seconds
- Do 5 sets of 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest
❌ The Problem
Players wait to fully identify the ball direction before starting to move, losing critical time.
✓ The Fix
Start moving before you are 100% sure of the direction. A good first step in the right general area is faster than a perfect first step half a second late.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Split Step Timing Drill
Train split step timing with a feeding partner.
- Partner feeds from the baseline or net
- You start at the opposite baseline in ready position
- Split step exactly as partner's racket makes contact
- Sprint to ball and return
- Repeat 20 times focusing only on timing the split step, not the return
🎻 Progressive Split Step Drill
Build split step into increasingly complex movement patterns.
- Level 1: split step then step right or left only
- Level 2: split step then sprint forward, back, or diagonal
- Level 3: split step in rally situation at match pace
- Level 4: split step while maintaining tactical awareness
❌ The Problem
Players skip the split step when they are tired late in matches, arriving late to every ball.
✓ The Fix
The split step is not optional when you are tired, it is more important. A fatigued player who split steps will still reach more balls than a fresh player who does not.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 5-Cone Star Drill
Set up 5 cones in a star pattern and run to each in sequence.
- Place one centre cone and 4 outer cones 3 metres from the centre in N/S/E/W positions
- Start at centre, sprint to North cone, return to centre
- Sprint to East cone, return to centre
- Continue to South, West, and repeat
- Time yourself over 5 full rotations, target under 45 seconds
🎻 Agility Ladder Sequence
Run these three ladder patterns consecutively.
- Pattern 1: two feet in each rung (basic run), 3 passes
- Pattern 2: lateral shuffle (both feet in each rung, side-on), 3 passes
- Pattern 3: Icky shuffle (in, in, out pattern), 3 passes
- Rest 90 seconds between each sequence
- Do 4 complete sequences per session
❌ The Problem
Players run through agility drills slowly without urgency, getting no transfer to match speed.
✓ The Fix
Agility drills only improve your game if done at match pace or above. Slow agility training builds slow agility. Sprint every drill at full effort.
✅ Module Checklist
🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Build explosive lower body strength for court movement and serve
- Develop core stability that transfers to every shot
- Train upper body power for serve pace and shoulder health
- Avoid common gym mistakes that slow tennis players down
🎻 Tennis Squat Programme
Three squat variations for tennis-specific lower body strength.
- Goblet squat: 3 sets of 12 (builds overall leg strength)
- Split squat: 3 sets of 10 each leg (builds single-leg stability for court movement)
- Jump squat: 3 sets of 8 (builds explosive power for split step and serve)
- Rest 60-90 seconds between sets
- Progress: increase weight or reps every two weeks
🎻 Lateral Band Walk
Build lateral leg strength for direction changes.
- Place resistance band just above knees
- Stand in athletic position (knees bent, back straight)
- Step laterally 15 steps right, then 15 steps left
- Keep toes forward and knees behind toes throughout
- Do 3 sets with 30 seconds rest
❌ The Problem
Players train upper body in the gym but neglect legs, then wonder why their movement breaks down late in matches.
✓ The Fix
Legs are your tennis engine. If you only have time for one gym session per week, make it a leg session. Strong legs improve every single shot and every single movement.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Tennis Core Circuit
Complete this four-exercise core circuit.
- Plank: 3 x 45 seconds (full body stability)
- Side plank: 3 x 30 seconds each side (lateral stability for direction changes)
- Dead bug: 3 x 10 reps each side (anti-rotation core control)
- Pallof press: 3 x 12 reps each side (rotational resistance, directly transfers to groundstrokes)
- Rest 30 seconds between exercises
🎻 Medicine Ball Rotational Throw
Train rotational power that transfers to groundstroke power.
- Stand side-on to a wall 1 metre away
- Hold medicine ball (3-4kg) at hip
- Rotate and throw the ball into the wall
- Catch and reset
- 3 sets of 12 each side
❌ The Problem
Players do sit-ups thinking they are training their tennis core, when sit-ups are not a functional movement for tennis.
✓ The Fix
Tennis core training is rotational and anti-rotational. Planks, side planks, Pallof presses, and medicine ball throws, not sit-ups. Train movements, not muscles.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Tennis Upper Body Programme
Three exercises that build tennis-functional upper body strength.
- Push-up variation (close grip for triceps): 3 x 15, builds serve and forehand follow-through strength
- Band pull-apart: 3 x 20, builds rotator cuff and upper back strength (essential for serve health)
- Dumbbell external rotation: 3 x 15 each arm, the most important injury prevention exercise for the shoulder
- Rest 45 seconds between sets
🎻 Serve Specific Shoulder Strength
Build the specific strength needed for a powerful and healthy serve.
- Y-T-W exercise: lie face down, raise arms to form Y, T, and W shapes
- Hold each position 2 seconds
- 3 sets of 8 reps
- This exercise directly strengthens the muscles that control your serve motion and prevent shoulder injury
❌ The Problem
Players do heavy bench press and bicep curls thinking it helps their tennis.
✓ The Fix
Heavy pressing movements can actually hinder tennis by building muscle that slows your swing. Focus on rotator cuff, upper back, and tricep exercises that build racket speed, not muscle bulk.
✅ Module Checklist
🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Understand how aerobic and anaerobic systems power tennis
- Build on-court endurance through tennis-specific drills
- Train interval capacity that mirrors match work-to-rest ratios
- Progressively build stamina over a 6-week programme
🎻 Energy System Test
Test your aerobic and anaerobic fitness separately.
- Anaerobic test: sprint 30m three times with 30 seconds rest. Time each. If times increase by more than 10% by the third sprint, anaerobic fitness needs work.
- Aerobic test: run for 12 minutes at a pace you can sustain. Measure distance. Under 2km indicates aerobic base needs work.
- Record both results. These are your energy system baselines.
🎻 On-Court Energy System Analysis
Assess which energy system fails you first in a match.
- Play a full set at match intensity
- Track: when do you feel most tired? Start of the set, middle, or end?
- Start fatigue = aerobic base issue
- Mid-set fatigue = lactate clearance issue
- End-of-set fatigue = normal, work on extending your threshold
❌ The Problem
Players run long slow distances for tennis fitness when tennis is an interval sport.
✓ The Fix
Long slow runs build aerobic base but not the explosive power needed for tennis points. Combine aerobic base work with interval training that simulates match intensity.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Suicide Run Endurance Set
Classic court suicide runs for tennis-specific endurance.
- Start at the baseline
- Sprint to the service line, return to baseline
- Sprint to the net, return to baseline
- Sprint to the opposite service line, return to baseline
- Sprint to opposite baseline, return, that is one rep
- Do 8 reps with 30 seconds rest between each
- Time how long before your form breaks down
🎻 Continuous Rally Endurance
Rally for extended time periods to build on-court endurance.
- Rally with a partner for 20 consecutive minutes
- No breaks except between points
- Track: does your movement quality drop?
- Does your error rate increase in the final 5 minutes?
- If yes, your on-court endurance is a training priority
❌ The Problem
Players train fitness off-court without testing whether it transfers to their on-court performance.
✓ The Fix
The proof of your fitness is in the third set. Test your fitness on court by playing long practice sets and tracking movement quality throughout. Off-court numbers only matter if they transfer to the court.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Tennis Interval Protocol
The most tennis-specific interval training method.
- Work interval: 10 seconds of maximum effort (sprint, jump squats, or court sprints)
- Rest interval: 20 seconds of walking
- Repeat 10 times, that is one set
- Rest 2 minutes between sets
- Do 4 sets (40 work intervals total)
- This mimics the work-to-rest ratio of a real match
🎻 Progressive Interval Programme
Build interval capacity over 6 weeks.
- Week 1-2: 10-second work, 30-second rest, 3 sets of 10
- Week 3-4: 10-second work, 20-second rest, 4 sets of 10
- Week 5-6: 15-second work, 20-second rest, 4 sets of 10
- Retest after 6 weeks: your anaerobic fitness should have improved significantly
❌ The Problem
Players do long steady-state cardio as their only endurance training, which does not improve the ability to recover quickly between points.
✓ The Fix
Replace 50% of your steady-state cardio with interval training. The ability to recover quickly between points is trained specifically, not by running for 45 minutes at a comfortable pace.
✅ Module Checklist
🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Build a daily tennis-specific stretching routine
- Understand and prevent the four most common tennis injuries
- Develop a post-match recovery protocol
- Optimise sleep and nutrition for tennis recovery
🎻 Pre-Match Dynamic Warm-Up
A 10-minute dynamic warm-up for before every match or practice.
- Leg swings: 15 forward/back each leg, 15 lateral each leg
- Hip circles: 10 each direction, both legs
- Arm circles: 10 forward, 10 backward, progressively larger
- Trunk rotations: 15 each direction with arms extended
- High knees: 20 metres
- Heel flicks: 20 metres
- Side shuffle: 10 metres each direction
🎻 Post-Match Static Stretching Routine
A 10-minute static stretch routine for after every match.
- Hamstring stretch: 45 seconds each leg
- Hip flexor lunge stretch: 45 seconds each side
- Shoulder cross-body stretch: 45 seconds each arm
- Tricep overhead stretch: 30 seconds each arm
- Calf stretch against wall: 45 seconds each leg
- Spine rotation: 30 seconds each side
❌ The Problem
Players skip the warm-up and go straight into full-pace hitting, increasing injury risk significantly.
✓ The Fix
Dynamic stretching before, static stretching after. Never static stretch cold muscles before playing, this reduces power output. Save your static stretching for after the session.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Prehabilitation Circuit
Complete these exercises 3 times per week to prevent the four most common tennis injuries.
- Tennis elbow prevention: wrist curls with light weight (1-2kg), 3 x 15 each direction
- Shoulder: band pull-apart, 3 x 20
- Knee: single-leg squat with control, 3 x 10 each leg
- Ankle: single-leg balance on unstable surface, 3 x 30 seconds each side
🎻 Warning Sign Recognition
Learn the early warning signs of each injury so you can act before it becomes serious.
- Tennis elbow: burning sensation on outside of elbow after playing, reduce volume, add wrist strengthening
- Shoulder: pain above 90 degrees of elevation, stop serving, see physio
- Knee pain: pain during or after squatting or running, reduce court time, add quad and glute strengthening
- Ankle: instability feeling or rolling, add balance training, tape before playing
❌ The Problem
Players play through early injury warning signs and turn minor issues into season-ending injuries.
✓ The Fix
Pain is a signal. Discomfort during play is a signal to investigate, not ignore. Most tennis injuries give you 2-4 weeks of warning signs before they become serious. Act then, not after.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Post-Match Recovery Protocol
Complete this sequence after every match or intense practice.
- 5 minutes: slow walking to lower heart rate gradually
- 10 minutes: static stretching routine (from previous lesson)
- Ice any area that has been under stress (elbow, shoulder, knee)
- Nutrition: protein + carbohydrates within 30 minutes of finishing
- Hydration: 500ml water minimum in the first 30 minutes after play
🎻 Sleep Optimisation for Tennis Recovery
Build better sleep habits to maximise overnight recovery.
- Target 7-9 hours per night, this is where muscle repair happens
- No screens 30 minutes before bed
- Cool room (18-20 degrees) for optimal sleep quality
- Post-match: avoid high-stress activities in the 2 hours before bed
- Track your sleep quality and correlate it to next-day performance
❌ The Problem
Players finish training and immediately go about their day without any recovery protocol.
✓ The Fix
The 30 minutes after training is the most valuable recovery window. Use it for nutrition, hydration, and light movement. Skip it and you waste up to 30% of the training effect.
✅ Module Checklist
🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Build a tested pre-match nutrition protocol
- Develop a hydration strategy for hot-weather tennis
- Maximise the 30-minute post-match recovery nutrition window
- Plan your next-day recovery nutrition for consistent performance
🎻 Pre-Match Meal Template
Build a reliable pre-match meal that fuels 3+ hours of tennis.
- 3-4 hours before: main pre-match meal, complex carbs (rice, pasta, sweet potato), lean protein (chicken, eggs), minimal fat
- 1-2 hours before: small top-up if needed, banana, toast, small portion of oats
- 30-60 minutes before: nothing heavy, water, small snack only if very hungry
- Avoid: high-fat foods, large portions within 2 hours, unfamiliar foods on match day
🎻 Pre-Match Nutrition Testing
Test your pre-match meal system before it matters.
- Test your pre-match meal on 3 consecutive practice days
- Note: energy levels, stomach comfort, performance quality
- Adjust timing and food choices based on how you feel
- Never try a new food or timing on match day
❌ The Problem
Players eat a large meal 1 hour before a match and then feel heavy and sluggish.
✓ The Fix
Eat your main pre-match meal 3-4 hours before play. If you need something 1-2 hours before, keep it small and easily digestible. Big meals close to match time go to your stomach, not your legs.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Daily Hydration Baseline
Establish your daily hydration target.
- Target: at least 35ml of water per kg of body weight per day
- Example: 70kg player needs at least 2.45 litres per day (not counting exercise)
- Add 500ml per hour of tennis in moderate heat
- Add 750-1000ml per hour of tennis in heavy heat (35+ degrees)
- Colour of urine: pale yellow = hydrated, dark yellow = drink now
🎻 On-Court Hydration Protocol
Build a drinking routine that maintains hydration throughout a match.
- Before match: 500ml in the 2 hours before playing
- Changeovers: 200-250ml at every changeover (every 2 games)
- Electrolytes: add a small pinch of salt or electrolyte tablet if playing more than 90 minutes in heat
- Post match: 500ml immediately, then continue drinking for 2 hours
❌ The Problem
Players only drink water when they feel thirsty, which means they are already 1-2% dehydrated and performance is declining.
✓ The Fix
Drink on a schedule, not by feel. 200ml at every changeover regardless of thirst. By the time you feel thirsty in the heat, you have already lost enough fluid to affect your speed and coordination.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Recovery Meal Protocol
Build a consistent post-match recovery meal.
- Within 30 minutes: 20-30g protein + fast-release carbohydrates
- Examples: banana + protein shake, rice + chicken (if full meal accessible), eggs on toast
- Within 2 hours: full balanced meal with protein, carbs, and vegetables
- Avoid: alcohol post-match (significantly impairs muscle repair), high-fat meals within 2 hours of finishing
🎻 Next-Day Preparation Nutrition
Fuel the day after a match correctly.
- Day after a match: increase carbohydrate intake to replenish glycogen
- Increase protein slightly (1.6-2g per kg of body weight)
- Prioritise sleep: 8+ hours to allow muscle repair
- Light movement only if sore: walking, gentle stretching
- No hard training for 24-48 hours after a hard match
❌ The Problem
Players finish a match and eat nothing for 2-3 hours because they are not hungry after competing.
✓ The Fix
Post-match appetite suppression is normal, adrenaline reduces hunger. But your muscles need nutrients now, not when you feel hungry. Drink a recovery shake or eat a banana with protein within 30 minutes regardless of appetite.
✅ Module Checklist
🎯 Module Learning Objectives
- Understand periodisation and plan your training year
- Build a tournament week taper protocol
- Design and follow the complete 6-week tennis fitness programme
- Track progress and build your next training block
🎻 Seasonal Training Block Design
Divide your year into four training phases.
- Off-season (8-12 weeks): high volume fitness training, technique work, less match play
- Pre-season (4-6 weeks): reduce fitness volume, increase intensity, more practice matches
- In-season (variable): maintain fitness, prioritise match preparation, reduce gym volume
- Recovery (2-4 weeks): complete rest, light activity only, mental recovery
- Map your tournament schedule and work backwards to design your phases
🎻 Weekly Load Planning
Manage your weekly training load to avoid overtraining.
- High load week: full training schedule (3 fitness, 5 tennis)
- Medium load week: reduce by 20%
- Low load week: reduce by 40% (every 4th week)
- This prevents plateauing and reduces injury risk
- Never have more than 3 consecutive high load weeks
❌ The Problem
Players train exactly the same way all year, leading to plateaus, burnout, and predictable performance drops.
✓ The Fix
Plan your year before it starts. Identify your key tournaments and work backwards. Build fitness in the off-season, sharpen it pre-season, and maintain it in-season while reducing overall load.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 Tournament Week Training Reduction
Taper your training correctly in the week before a major tournament.
- Monday: light practice, no fitness training
- Tuesday: moderate practice, technical focus
- Wednesday: light practice, serve and return focus
- Thursday: rest or very light hit
- Friday: rest
- Saturday: match day or pre-match routine day
🎻 Tournament Day Routine
Build a fixed match-day routine that you execute every tournament.
- Wake at same time as practice days (not earlier)
- Same breakfast you have tested and trust
- 15-minute easy walk or dynamic mobility
- Arrive at venue 45 minutes before match
- Dynamic warm-up 20 minutes before match
- Last 5 minutes: visualisation and breathing
❌ The Problem
Players train at full volume right up to match day and arrive at their most important match exhausted.
✓ The Fix
Reduce training volume by 40-60% in the week before a major tournament. Maintain intensity (speed of drills) but cut the number of repetitions. Arrive fresh, not fit.
✅ Module Checklist
🎻 6-Week Programme Structure
Your complete week-by-week tennis fitness plan.
- Week 1: Baseline testing, 3 x agility sessions, 2 x strength (legs + core)
- Week 2: Add interval training (2 sessions), continue agility and strength
- Week 3: Increase interval intensity, maintain strength, add upper body session
- Week 4: Deload, reduce all volume by 40%, focus on flexibility and recovery
- Week 5: Peak training week, all components at maximum volume
- Week 6: Taper and retest, confirm improvements against Week 1 baseline
🎻 Progress Tracking System
Track your progress across the 6-week programme.
- Week 1: Record all baseline test scores
- Week 4 (deload): Quick check test, are you improving?
- Week 6: Full retest of all baseline metrics
- Compare: sprint time, agility T-test, endurance, flexibility
- Celebrate improvements. Identify remaining gaps.
- Design your next 6-week block based on remaining weaknesses
❌ The Problem
Players do random fitness training without structure and cannot identify whether it is working or not.
✓ The Fix
Structure creates progress. Follow the 6-week programme exactly, track your numbers weekly, and retest at the end. The data tells you exactly where to focus next. Guessing is for players without a plan.