Avoiding typical tennis injuries: 5 prevention strategies for a healthy match

Last modified on11 August 2025

Tennis is an intensive full-body sport - quick changes of direction, explosive movements and repeated impact loads make you susceptible to typical overuse injuries. If you want to avoid tennis injuries, you therefore need a well thought-out prevention concept.
In this article, we present 5 effective strategies to help you stay healthy, efficient and injury-free.

Avoid tennis injuries with warm-up & stretching

A targeted warm-up prepares muscles, joints and ligaments optimally for exertion - a crucial step in avoiding tennis injuries.

Recommended measures:

3-5 minutes of activation: light jogging, jumping jacks or arm circles increase your body temperature.
Dynamic stretching: Exercises such as shoulder rolls, trunk rotations and lunges simulate movements on the court.
After the game: Static stretching and cool-down promote regeneration and reduce the risk of injury due to muscle tension.

❗Regular stretching is essential to avoid tennis injuries such as strains or tendon irritation.

Correct technique & biomechanical analysis

The correct stroke and serve technique prevents injuries and improves performance: a stable posture, controlled racquet movement and a clean energy chain (legs → torso → shoulder → arm) reduce incorrect strain on joints and tendons.
A biomechanically incorrect grip (e.g. tight or large grip size, too much string tension) can lead to tennis elbow or shoulder pain. too tight or large a grip size, excessive string tension) can lead to tennis elbow or shoulder pain - make sure you have the right grip size, string tension and racket balance.
Regular technique checks via video analysis or trainer feedback help to identify inefficient movement patterns and correct them in a targeted manner.

Strength training - strong muscles protect against tennis injuries

The body acts as a unit - targeted training stimuli prevent overloading:

Core & torso: Strong abdominal, back and hip muscles stabilize the spine and transfer impact power efficiently. Exercises such as planks, Russian twists or medicine ball throws are ideal.

Lower body: Squats, lunges and calf raises improve stability when changing direction quickly and reduce stress on the knees and ankles.

Upper body: shoulder presses, rowing pull-ups, push-ups and rotation exercises increase the resilience of the shoulders, arms and forearms - important against tennis elbows and shoulder injuries.

Balance & proprioception: Single-leg stance exercises, Bosu ball, balance board or instability training improve joint stability and help to prevent falls or twisting an ankle.

In addition: Kettlebell training or functional strength circuits promote the coordinated muscle chain - ideal for chronic shoulder problems.

Cross training & intelligent load control

In addition to tennis training, supplementary sports such as swimming, cycling or yoga are useful to reduce muscular imbalances and relieve overload.
Plyometric training (box jumps, fast sprints) strengthens tendons and joints and prepares you for explosive court movements.

Load management plays a special role:

Adhere to progressive exercise: e.g. three weeks of exercise, one week with reduced intensity (3:1 ratio)
Minimize week-to-week changes, no overtraining due to rapid load jumps
Do not play more than three matches per day or eight matches per week in youth tournaments.

Premature specialization in young players increases the risk of overuse injuries in the elbow or hip area: a diverse sports program is recommended.

Regeneration, sleep & healthy lifestyle

Recovery is a key component: regular rest days reduce the risk of chronic overuse and typical tennis injuries, especially in the case of tendinopathies such as tennis elbow or rotator cuff problems.

Quality sleep (7-9 hours) is essential to regenerate muscles and the nervous system in the long term and to maintain responsiveness on the court.

Hydration & Nutrition:

Drink plenty - ideally water or electrolyte-containing drinks before, during and after the game to prevent cramps and fatigue.
An anti-inflammatory diet with omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables and antioxidants supports tendon health in the long term.

For pain on exertion or early complaints:

Immobilization, rest, ice, compression and elevation positioning as well as targeted strength training with resistance bands
If necessary, professional physiotherapy instead of short-term medication - based on conservative therapy recommendations for tendinopathies.

Background information: Why do these strategies work?

Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is usually caused by overloading the tendons through repeated wrist extension and grip strength - conservative therapy with targeted forearm exercises, rest and improved technique is considered the most effective prevention.

Shoulder injuries

Shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff tendinopathies or labrum lesions occur when there is a lack of shoulder rotation and weakness in scapular stability - range of motion and strength training help prevent this.

Knee and ankle injuries

Knee and ankle injuries often result from abrupt changes of direction; the strain can be reduced with targeted balance and strength training and the correct choice of shoes.

Conclusion: Avoid tennis injuries - how to stay healthy on the court

An all-round sustainable prevention plan to avoid tennis injuries includes a systematic warm-up & stretching, technique improvement, body-strengthening training, varied cross-training, as well as sleep-promoting regeneration and nutrition.
The ideal way to do this is with the support of a sports physician, physiotherapist or biomechanics trainer, especially in the case of recurring complaints or individual anatomical risk factors.
This will keep you fit, healthy and injury-free in the long term - for a successful and enjoyable game of tennis!

💡Tip: Save this guide or share it with your team - together you can avoid tennis injuries and take your game to the next level!

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