On court
Tennis Warm-Up and Injury Prevention: A Simple Routine
By the TennisCourtFinder team · Updated June 29, 2026 · 4 min read
The fastest way to lose a month of tennis is to walk on cold and rip a forehand in the first game. Most tennis injuries are not freak accidents. They build up from playing tight, tired, and unprepared. A five minute routine on the front end prevents most of them, and it makes you play better from the first point too.
Move before you stretch
Skip the long static stretches before you play. Cold muscles do not want to be yanked on, and the thinking has moved away from static stretching as a warm-up. Get the blood moving instead. A two minute light jog or brisk walk, some arm circles, leg swings, and a few easy lunges wake up the muscles you are about to use. Save the long stretches for after you play, when you are warm.
Start your hit easy
Begin from the service line, not the baseline. Hitting gentle mini-tennis for a couple of minutes lets your timing and your shoulder warm up under light load before you start swinging hard from the back. Work your way back to the baseline, then take a few serves at half pace before you cut anything loose. Your shoulder will thank you on serve day.
Protect the spots that break down
Tennis is hard on a few specific places. The shoulder and elbow take the load on serves and groundstrokes, which is where tennis elbow comes from, usually a mix of overuse and stiff equipment. The knees and ankles absorb all the stopping and starting. Good court shoes, a sensible amount of play as you build up, and strings that are not strung like a board all go a long way toward keeping these healthy.
Cool down and recover
When you finish, that is the time for static stretching, while everything is warm. Stretch your shoulders, forearms, hips, and calves, and drink more water than you think you need, especially after a hot outdoor session. The players who stay on the court for decades are usually the ones who treat the warm-up and cool-down as part of the game, not optional extras.
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Frequently asked questions
- Start with a few minutes of light movement like jogging, arm circles, and leg swings, then hit easy mini-tennis from the service line before working back to the baseline. Save static stretching for after you play.
- Tennis elbow is an overuse strain of the tendons on the outside of the elbow. It often comes from a mix of heavy play and stiff equipment, and softer strings at a lower tension can help reduce the load.
- Do light, dynamic movement before you play and save longer static stretches for after, when your muscles are warm. Stretching cold muscles before playing offers little benefit.