6 Ways to Prevent the Most Common Tennis Injuries

Tennis, pickleball, squash, and badminton all share the same injury patterns — overhead shoulder issues, tennis elbow, lower back strains, and lower-limb injuries from sudden changes of direction. Most of them are preventable. Here's what actually works.

1. Warm up properly (and not the way you think)

Static stretching before play doesn't reduce injury risk and may slightly reduce performance. What does work: 5-10 minutes of dynamic warm-up — light movement, joint rotations, gradually increasing intensity, sport-specific motions like air-swings and shuffle steps. Save the static stretching for after.

2. Build shoulder stability

Racquet sports load the shoulder repetitively, especially overhead. Without strong rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers, the shoulder eventually breaks down — impingement, rotator cuff strain, sometimes labral issues. Two minutes a day of basic rotator cuff work (band external rotations, scapular squeezes, Y-T-W's) goes a long way.

3. Strengthen your forearm and grip — but smartly

Tennis elbow is the classic overuse injury in racquet sports. The fix isn't just more grip work — it's balanced wrist extensor and flexor strength, plus eccentric loading (slowly lowering against resistance) for the wrist extensors. Done preventively, this is one of the highest-leverage habits a regular player can have.

4. Train your hips and ankles

Most lower-limb injuries in racquet sports happen during direction changes — lunges, lateral pushes, recovery steps. Strong, mobile hips and stable ankles take the load. Single-leg work (lunges, step-ups), lateral movement drills, and ankle stability exercises pay off.

5. Don't ignore your back

Tennis-specific back pain is usually from rotation overload — your spine ending up doing the rotation that your hips and mid-back should be doing. Daily mid-back rotation work (open books, thoracic rotations) and hip rotation drills help meaningfully. If you have recurring back pain after tennis, get assessed.

6. Manage your volume

Going from once a week to four times a week mid-season is a recipe for injury. Tissue tolerates load it's been gradually exposed to; sudden jumps overload it. Build up your playing volume gradually, especially after a winter off.