Tip of the Day: Off-court preparation & recovery can make or break your tennis career

At most levels of the sport, including even at the peak of the collegiate level at times, players fail to prioritize their physical preparation before practices and matches, and neglect recovery afterwards

It is not only better for long-term health and fitness to warm up the body and cool it down. It also supports effective tennis from the very first stroke.

First things first: Arrive with enough time to spare before starting. Whether a lesson begins at 4:30 p.m. or match day begins at 8:00 a.m., there should never be a time where you’re racing from the parking lot to the court.

If you haven’t guessed it, that’s not the kind of warm-up, heart-rate booster that you're looking for.

An effective preparation includes both static and dynamic stretching, from shuffles and high knees to lunges and Frankensteins. Most players focus on the legs, but make sure to also loosen up the arms and shoulders as well as the core and hips. The more well-rounded the warm-up, the less the tension builds in the body and the more capable the muscles become.

Another crucial reason for allotting time to physically prepare off court is to support the mental third of the sport. Taking time to energize the body means taking time to get your head in the game. Even if listening to music, talking with a coach, or speaking with other players while warming up, without realizing it, your mind is becoming more focused on the task up ahead, and is connecting the physicality to the expected performance soon to come.

Read more: Release, recover and refocus the 20-second routine

Recovering post-tennis is also just as necessary for the mind and body. Not only do the muscles need to decompress, but the mind is suddenly going from fully charged to taking a back seat. Going into a fitness room or a quiet space and breathing through the recovery reduces mental fatigue and allows for clearer review of the play day.

Getting in the habit of physical and mental preparedness separates your game from the lot. Professional players, their teams, and the media speak greatly on the amount of work that goes unseen, but for the average player, these habits aren’t well-established until college–that is, at a competitive school.