Tennis places unique physical demands on the body across training and competition.

Players are required to accelerate, decelerate, change direction, rotate, and repeat explosive efforts over long matches and extended seasons. These demands place high stress on shoulders, hips, knees, and the trunk, especially when strength and conditioning are not structured properly.

Many tennis players struggle not because they lack effort, but because their gym training is not aligned with on court load. Poorly timed strength work, excessive fatigue, or training without structure often leads to stalled progress or recurring niggles.

This page explains how to approach tennis preparation using a clear training pathway, based on how long you have to prepare and where you are in the season.

What tennis demands from the body

Tennis is a repeated acceleration and rotation sport with high unilateral demands.

To perform well and stay available to play, players need:

• Strength to tolerate repeated sprinting and deceleration
• Rotational strength and trunk control for stroke production
• Shoulder and upper body resilience for serving and hitting volume
• Aerobic capacity to recover between points and matches
• Muscular endurance and tissue resilience across long seasons

These qualities must be developed in the right order. Training everything hard at once often increases fatigue without improving performance.

Why preparation matters for tennis

Without a clear preparation structure, gym training often competes with tennis instead of supporting it.

Common issues include:

• Entering competition phases under prepared
• Carrying unnecessary fatigue into matches
• Poor tolerance to rotational and unilateral loading
• Recurring shoulder, elbow, hip, or knee issues

Preparation solves this by sequencing training around the tennis calendar.

Strength is prioritised when court load is lower.
Conditioning support is layered in when appropriate.
Training volume is adjusted during competition heavy periods.

This approach improves performance while reducing injury risk.

How tennis preparation is structured

Tennis preparation is built using focused 12 week training blocks.

Each block has a clear purpose and is aligned with where you are in the season.

Depending on your timeline, preparation may focus on:

• Off season strength and tissue development
• Pre season conditioning and movement support
• In season strength maintenance and resilience

The longer the timeline, the more opportunity there is to plan ahead and avoid rushing key phases.

Choose your tennis preparation pathway

From here, select how long you have to prepare.

Each pathway explains what to train, when to train it, and which programs to use based on your situation.

Tennis 3 Month Preparation Pathway
Best for players entering a competitive phase or needing short term structure.

Tennis 6 Month Preparation Pathway
Ideal for players building strength before transitioning into higher on court demands.

Tennis 12 Month Preparation Pathway
Built for year round development aligned with off season, pre season, and competition phases.

Each pathway removes guesswork and helps gym training support tennis, not compete with it.

You do not need to train harder to become a better tennis player.
You need to train at the right time, with the right focus.

The tennis preparation framework exists to give you clarity, reduce confusion, and help you stay strong, resilient, and available across the season.