Shortly before the end of last year, I wrote a three-part series highlighting the “12 Habits of Highly Successful Tennis players.” Throughout 2023, I will explore each of those habits over the first weekend of every month. First up this month is off-court training. The very best players put in a lot of work away from the tennis court. Today we are focused very specifically on strength training.
One of the most obvious benefits of building strength in tennis is that it helps the player transfer power during stroke production. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg as there are other performance and health-related benefits. Building strength increases metabolism which supports maintaining a healthy weight for on-court mobility. It also increases bone density, significantly reducing the odds of injury from falls or collisions.
The great news is that tennis players don’t have to rush out to sign up for an expensive gym membership. While the ritual of going to the gym can have motivational benefits for some people, it isn’t strictly necessary. On the other hand, if you are completely new to strength training there may be some benefit to setting up a series of sessions with a personal trainer to help get you started.
Tennis players can get a lot of mileage from bodyweight exercises. In 2020, I shared a post with a circuit workout derived from Dennis Ralston’s “Davis Cup Workout” that included sit-ups, pushups, and body weight squats. Similarly, resistance bands and loops are great tools for weight training exercises.
My home gym is equipped with a set of dumbbells and medicine balls. In fact, I will usually head toward the free weights even when I am in a gym that has a full set of circuit weight machines. Tennis players tend to have muscular imbalances due to the asymmetric nature of swinging the racquet with the dominant hand. Circuit machines can mask imbalances while free weights make sure that both sides of the body are worked equally.
I am told that suspension training systems, such as the TRX, are great for tennis. I have a TRX in my home gym where I installed anchor points. However, I don’t consistently use it for reasons that defy my understanding. I think it is because the overhead of putting it up and adjusting it for various exercises kills efficiency. One of my objectives for 2023 is to fully explore my TRX system.
Off-court strength training doesn’t involve a high investment in time. In fact in the post-covid work-from-home era, I have found that integrating a few reps throughout the day during breaks actually helps my concentration and energy for my subsequent desk jockey work.
Tennis players who are serious about competing at their highest level of performance train for strength. This investment pays dividends in stroke production power, metabolism, and bone density. A little advanced planning and concentrated effort with weights or resistance bands are all it takes to experience these benefits.
As I continue to work through the first of the “12 Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Players,” I am struck by the absolute simplicity. Anyone can easily do these things and that’s exactly the point. What separates the very best players from the rest of us is the self-discipline to turn those things that we all know we should do into habits.
 | Complete Conditioning for Tennis is my go to resource for tennis specific strength training. If you are looking for information to tailor your own strength and conditioning program, this is an excellent starting point. |
Looks like Djokovic took advantage of his vaccine hiatus last fall to add muscle mass to help bolster his grand slam winning ways.