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Published: 12/1/2025💡 Tips|🏋 Fitness|🤸 Training plans
Exercises for tennis players: a complete set for conditioning and stability
On-court training is the only one that comes to your mind when you think of tennis? Off-court workouts are just as important to achieve the best results in this sport. This guide includes a training plan to improve both your stamina and stability. This will make playing your next tennis match easier.
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Why is physical conditioning so important for tennis players?
Table of content
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⚡ Off-court training is the key to success – regular conditioning and stabilization exercises improve reflexes, endurance, and precision of movement.
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🏃♂️ The most important elements of tennis training are warm-up, technical exercises, strength and conditioning training – each of them supports speed and body balance.
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🧘♀️ Stabilization is essential – planks, squats on unstable surfaces, and torso rotations strengthen deep muscles and protect against injuries.
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🚫 Avoid mistakes – don't skip the warm-up, exercise both sides of your body, and remember to regenerate and gradually increase the intensity.
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🎽 The right sportswear guarantees freedom of movement and comfort during training—choose tennis clothes that support your mobility and performance.
In this article:
Why is physical conditioning so important for tennis players?
Remember that tennis is a dynamic sport. This is where split-second response matters. Being well-prepared means improved reflexes, increased precision and the ability to maintain balance - even during challenging serves. Here’s why excellent stamina matters so much to tennis players:
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Speed - good conditioning allows faster reactions on the court, e.g. by rapid direction changing.
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Stamina - tennis matches are long, often lasting up to several hours. Without proper conditioning, it is difficult to meet such a challenge.
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Coordination - precise movement and balance. For such results, overall physical conditioning is a must.
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Injury prevention - tennis favours one-sided loading which fosters injury, e.g. by straining a dominant hand during serve. With good physical preparation, you are less injury-prone.
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Confidence - important in any sport, including tennis. Exercise not only increases strength and stamina: it also has a positive impact on players’ mental health.
Where to begin with your tennis training?
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If you are a beginner, the best choice is to meet a coach or an experienced player. During this training you will learn the basic rules of the game and get to know some tips on how to prepare for your first match.
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If you play recreationally, train at least twice a week.
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If you aim for the best possible results, train on- and off-court, caring for your stamina. Consider regular sparring matches too.
First, determine your skill level:
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Warm-up - its aim is to prepare the body for further effort. Dynamic stretching, jumping jacks, squats, and light jog will work well at this stage of training.
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Drills and conditioning exercises - grab a tennis ball and racquet. If you have a chance to do so, practice against a wall - it should be at least 4 metres wide. Hit the ball against it, serve it and practice your forehands and backhands. Work on maintaining the right rhythm and shot quality.
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Conditioning training - such exercises include interval running, that is jogs of alternating intensity, swimming (different styles) or cross-country skiing.
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Strength training - exercises for tennis players to strengthen legs, back, arms and abdomen. These include: deadlifts, squats, lunges, barbell rows, and push-ups.
Here's what your sample tennis training might look like:
A stamina-improving exercises for tennis players
Do you want to improve your fitness before stepping out on the court? Do regularly these exercises for tennis players:
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Skipping rope exercises - three 2-minute sessions, 1-minute break.
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Interval running - 1 minute of fast running and 1 minute of light jog, repeat 5 times.
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Sprint - several minutes of fast running with abrupt stopping.
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Squat jumps - 3 sets of 10.
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Med ball throws - overhead, rotational, forward.
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Resistance band exercises - side kicks, banded squats, banded glute bridges.
Overall physical training: tennis
To work on the base, that is technique, choose overall physical training. It should consist of the following elements:
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Jog around the court or on a treadmill.
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Jumps.
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Stretching - arm circles, trunk twists.
Warm-up - spend about 10 minutes warming up by doing the following exercises:
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Squats with body weight or with extra load.
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Forward and reverse lunges.
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Plank.
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Lateral line jumps.
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Glute bridge with or without dumbbells.
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Sprints (lasting a few minutes) with direction changes.
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Squat jumps.
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Coordination ladder exercises, such as single leg forward jumps, lateral jumps.
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Jump rope skipping.
Main workout - this part of overall training should last about 40 minutes. Perform selected exercises from this list during this part of your training session:
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Hamstring stretches.
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Spinal twists.
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Child's pose.
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A series of several deep inhales and calm exhales.
Stretching - at the end, take a few minutes to calm your body down and relax your muscles. To do so, perform:
Tennis - a stability-improving training plan
How do you keep your balance while suddenly changing direction on the court? By working on stability. It will make your shots more powerful and protect your spine and joints from injury. To increase it, add these exercises to your training plan:
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Plank - classic, sideways or with a leg or arm lift.
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Dead bug - an exercise while lying on the back. How to do it? Bring an opposite leg and arm down, keep other extremities in the air.
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Trunk twists - with a resistance band or medicine ball.
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Squats - on an elevation, for example, on a balance disc.
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One-leg stand - on the floor or a disc.
Exercises for tennis players. Most common mistakes
When performing exercises for tennis players, regularity is the key to success. Besides consistency, the following are important:
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Correct technique - which is equally important during training sessions and matches.
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Warm-up - don't skip it! Doesn’t matter whether you’re about to start a training session or a match, prepare your joints and muscles for the intense effort ahead.
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All-around training - work on both hands, don't focus entirely on your serving hand. Perform exercises symmetrically and opt for a variety of activities.
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Progress - gradually increase exercise intensity, number of repetitions, distance and training time.
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Regeneration - make time for proper rest. Remember that exhaustion is not your ally.
Now you know how to do a tennis-oriented workout. Before you start it, put together a comfortable outfit that ensures unrestricted movement. Explore the 4F store to find dresses, skirts, tops and other tennis clothes that tick all the boxes.
Sources:
https://www.sportiva.pl/artykuly/przygotowanie-motoryczne-w-tenisie-juniorskim%2C154.html
https://www.tenis.net.pl/jak-budowac-wydolnosc-w-tenisie-skuteczne-cwiczenia-i-sprzet/
https://polski-tenis.pl/jak-trening-silowy-pomoze-ci-lepiej-grac-w-tenisa/
https://dotenisa.pl/jak-przygotowac-sie-fizycznie-do-gry-tenisa-i-125.html
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❓ FAQ – Exercises for tennis players
How often should you train off the court to see results?
What fitness exercises are best for tennis players?
How to strengthen your core and reduce the risk of injury?
Is strength training necessary for tennis players? What exercises should they choose?
What does the ideal warm-up before a game look like?
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