Endurance Training for Tennis

Next, let’s talk about endurance. You need endurance to keep up the intensity in every match. As soon as you start lagging, your opponent will take advantage of it and quickly pull ahead. To prevent this, you’ll need to build up both your aerobic and anaerobic endurance.
Your aerobic endurance is how long your body can continue to do lengthy physical activity. This is what will help you play match after match without slowing down. If you have a solid aerobic base, you’ll be able to recover faster between points and sets, improve your overall stamina and reduce fatigue, and have the energy to keep a cool head.
On the other hand, anaerobic endurance refers to the ability to perform high-intensity exercise in short bursts. This is the key to explosive sprints, serves, and volleys. With anaerobic endurance, you can repeatedly make power shots, quickly change directions, and get ready to do it all again without rest.
You’ll need to develop both with a well-rounded selection of exercises and drills to be truly effective.

Aerobic Exercises for Tennis Player Endurance Training
· Running
· Swimming
· Biking
· Rowing
Anaerobic Exercises for Tennis Player Endurance Training
· HIIT Training
· Hill Sprints
Tennis Drills for Endurance Training
· Continuous Rallying—maintain continuous rallies and gradually increase the duration while incorporating different shot patterns, speeds, and spins
· Simulated Matches—play short sets with limited breaks, varying the scoring, shot selection, or court conditions to replicate real-life scenarios.

Flexibility for Tennis

While tennis may not be your first thought when someone mentions flexibility, it’s a vital component of this active game. Flexibility helps you move smoothly to prevent tennis injuries and improve your overall range of motion.
But it goes beyond just the basics. Better flexibility helps your posture and balance, which are crucial elements as you play. Flexibility also aids quicker and more accurate movements so you can make those power plays every time.
To be most effective, your tennis training should include targeted stretches and mobility drills for your hamstrings, quads, shoulders, and back.
Best Stretches for Flexibility in Tennis
Before stretching, you should do a light warmup, then hold each stretch for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Don’t push yourself too hard, or you’ll risk overstretching. As you do this consistently, you’ll be able to reach further and naturally extend your flexibility.
· Forearm Stretch
· Wrist Flexor Stretch
· Shoulder Internal Rotation Stretch
· Shoulder External Rotation Stretch
· Hip Flexor Stretch
· Hamstring Stretch
· Quad Stretch
· Calf Stretch
· Tricep Stretch

Best Mobility Drills for Tennis Players

For more agility, perform these drills a few times per week! Before long, you should see a significant improvement on the court.
· Arm Circles
· Torso Twists
· Hip Circles
· Inchworm to Plank
· Lunges with Torso Rotation

Agility for Tennis

The last thing to consider for your tennis conditioning is agility drills. Your agility is how well you can move around the court while maintaining control of your body. It’s also what will determine whether you make it to the nearly impossible shot and hit it back successfully.
Agility affects every aspect of your court game, so it has to be a priority in your tennis fitness routine. For example, you need to be agile and fast to cover ground on the court, move into open space and attack the net, or anticipate and react to your opponent’s plays.
In reality, agility is the foundation for many of tennis’s most essential aspects, so make sure it’s not an afterthought.
To get yourself ready, you’ll want to keep up with all the plyometric drills we discussed earlier, along with some tennis-specific agility drills.
Tennis Player Agility Drills
Most agility drills will focus on quick feet. But some also play a role in quick decision-making, helping you decide when and where to move and telling your brain in a split second.

Lateral Movement & Direction-Changing Drills

· Ladder Drills
· Side Shuffles
· Cone Drills
· Mirror Drills

Tennis Drills for Agility

· Sprint & Shuffle—Alternate movements on the court between sprints and shuffles, mimicking moves you’d use in a match. Be sure to go in all directions.
· Quick Feet Drills—Start with a rapid pitter-patter in place, then burst into quick changes of directions like you’d use in a match. Focus on fast footwork and sharp direction changes.