Modern competitive tennis is not only about technique. A player must repeatedly accelerate, stop, change direction, produce force in their strokes and preserve movement quality under fatigue. Physical preparation is therefore not separate from tennis. It is the system that allows technique to work under real match demands.
What Do High-Level Coaches Do?
In 2026, Fernandez-Fernandez and colleagues published the first tennis-specific study describing contemporary strength and conditioning practices among competitive and high-performance players. The survey included 94 strength and conditioning coaches from 19 countries.
- 95.7% distinguish between the off-season, pre-season and in-season.
- 75.5% describe their planning as periodized.
- 98.9% use plyometric exercises.
- 85.1% of those using plyometrics apply them throughout the year.
- 92.6% use physical testing.
- 96.8% use monitoring technology.
- The most commonly used technologies are heart-rate monitors (73.4%), mobile applications (58.5%) and velocity-based devices (54.3%).
1. Strength Is the Physical Foundation
Tennis players do not train strength to look like bodybuilders. The aim is to develop enough physical reserve to accelerate, decelerate, stabilize and repeatedly produce force.
Contemporary evidence reviews emphasize multi-joint strength exercises and the resilience of the lower limbs, trunk and shoulder.
- squats and their variations;
- split squats / lunges;
- hip hinges and Romanian deadlifts;
- pulling movements;
- appropriate pushing movements;
- exercises for the calves, thighs, hips and groin;
- scapular control and rotator-cuff work.
The more important question is not "How much weight can I lift?" but "Does this strength improve my movement, and can I use it quickly?"
2. From Strength to Power
Maximum strength is potential. Tennis, however, requires that potential to be used in a very short time.
STRENGTH -> POWER -> MOVEMENT -> STROKE -> PERFORMANCE
This is precisely why power training and plyometrics are so widely used. Jumps, bounds, medicine-ball throws and other explosive movements develop the ability to produce and transfer force quickly.
3. Plyometrics Are Almost Universal
In the 2026 survey, 93 of 94 strength and conditioning coaches used plyometric exercises. This is one of the strongest practical signals in the entire study.
Tennis constantly uses the stretch-shortening cycle: the muscle-tendon system must rapidly absorb force and then return it.
- split step;
- first step;
- lateral push-off;
- acceleration;
- stopping and re-acceleration;
- take-off during the serve.
Plyometrics should not mean endless jumping. Quality, landing control and an appropriate volume matter more than accumulating fatigue.
4. Tennis Speed Is Not a 100-Metre Sprint
A tennis player rarely reaches maximum linear speed. More often, the task is to react, make an explosive first step, cover a few metres, stop and change direction.
Physical preparation should therefore include:
- acceleration over short distances;
- lateral movement;
- change of direction;
- deceleration and braking;
- repeated accelerations;
- reaction to an external stimulus.
Stopping is especially important. High speed has little value if the player cannot control it and position themselves for the next stroke.
5. Conditioning Should Resemble Tennis
Tennis is an intermittent sport: short, intense actions alternate with brief recovery periods. Average physiological load may look moderate, but rallies contain repeated peaks of high intensity.
Conditioning should therefore not be reduced to prolonged steady-state running. In practice, interval formats that reproduce the rhythm of points, recovery periods and multidirectional movement are more specific.
6. Periodization: Training Changes with the Season
One of the clearest features of contemporary practice is that almost all surveyed coaches distinguish between different phases of the season.
| Phase | Strength / week | Endurance / week | Main emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | 2 (IQR 2-3) | 2 (2-3) | Building physical capacity |
| Pre-season | 3 (2-4) | 2 (2-3) | Highest preparatory volume |
| In-season | 2 (2-3) | 1 (1-2) | Maintenance and fatigue management |
These values are medians from the real practices of the surveyed coaches, not a universal prescription. The tournament calendar, age, training history, injuries and number of hours on court should determine the specific dose.
7. In-Season Does Not Mean "Stop Going to the Gym"
This is an important practical conclusion. Strength training usually does not disappear during the competitive period. Instead, its dose is reduced or adapted.
If a player completely stops strength and power stimuli for an extended period, some physical capacity will gradually be lost. A more sensible model is:
BUILD -> CONVERT -> MAINTAIN -> RECOVER -> BUILD AGAIN
8. Robustness: Preparation Must Also Help the Body Endure
Physical preparation has two parallel goals: performance and availability. A player who is very powerful but repeatedly misses training because of shoulder, groin, knee or calf problems does not have a sustainable advantage.
A contemporary narrative review proposes a year-round strength, power and robustness approach, with attention to the lower limbs, the hip-groin complex, the trunk and the shoulder.
9. Test What You Will Use
In the survey, 92.6% of coaches use physical tests. A test has value, however, only if its result changes a training decision.
- jump / explosive power;
- short acceleration;
- change of direction;
- strength markers;
- shoulder / trunk capacity;
- tennis-specific endurance.
The goal is not to build an enormous laboratory. The more recent review recommends a compact performance battery combined with simple measures of internal and external load.
10. Technology Helps, but It Does Not Replace the Coach
Almost all surveyed practitioners use some form of technology. Heart-rate monitors, mobile applications and velocity-based devices are the most widespread.
More data, however, do not automatically lead to better decisions. A useful system answers a simple question:
IS THE PLAYER READY FOR TODAY'S LOAD?
What Might a Practical Week Look Like?
The example below is an organizational model, not a universal programme. The actual schedule must be adapted to tournaments, playing level, age and individual recovery.
| Day | Court | S&C | Main goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Technique / moderate | Strength | Build strength |
| Tuesday | High-intensity points | Speed + plyometrics | Explosiveness |
| Wednesday | Light court / technique | Mobility / recovery | Recovery |
| Thursday | Tactics / points | Strength + power | Maintain power |
| Friday | Match-specific | Short COD / reaction | Tennis-specific movement |
| Saturday | Match / practice | Minimal | Performance |
| Sunday | Rest | Recovery | Adaptation |
The Most Important Principle: Physical Preparation Must Serve Tennis
A tennis player is not a powerlifter, sprinter or endurance athlete. They use elements of all these physical qualities, but combine them for a specific task.
STRENGTH -> POWER -> MOVEMENT -> TENNIS SKILL -> MATCH PERFORMANCE
Conclusion
Modern physical preparation in competitive tennis is far more structured than the idea of "a little fitness alongside tennis." Data from 94 strength and conditioning coaches show systematic use of strength, endurance, plyometrics, periodization, testing and technology.
The most important issue, however, is not how many different methods we use. It is how we integrate them.
A good programme builds strength, converts it into power, teaches the body to accelerate and stop, maintains the resilience of joints and tissues, and adapts the dose to the tournament calendar.
Do not train fitness for fitness's sake. Train the physical qualities tennis needs.
Scientific Sources
Fernandez-Fernandez J, Baiget E, Colomar J, Santos-Rosa FJ, Sanz-Rivas D. Strength and Conditioning Practices in Competitive and High-Performance Tennis: A Survey-Based Investigation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2026. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005537.
Fernandez-Fernandez J, Colomar J, Baiget E. Strength and Conditioning Practices in Tennis: A Narrative Review of Contemporary Evidence. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. First published online 27 Aug 2026. DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2026-0148.
Note: The survey of 94 coaches describes real-world practices and does not prove that every commonly used practice is optimal for every player. The specific programme must be individualized.