Tennis: returning after an injury
Trunk rotation, repeated strokes and quick footwork: shoulder, elbow, hips and ankles.
Risks and order of return
Serves, rotating forehands and quick footwork load the shoulder, elbow, back and ankles; resume without matches, with short rallies, and serve last.
Tennis: start with slow mid-court rallies, no serves or smashes. Add the serve, then lateral movement, then matches.
Bringing the movement back in four stages
- 1
Footwork without a ball and shadow strokes, no matches.
- 2
Short, slow rallies from the baseline, soft balls, strokes on one side only.
- 3
Longer rallies, backhands and varied strokes, changes of direction, no serves or smashes.
- 4
Serve, smash, fast play, then sets and matches.
Common injuries in this sport
Preparation exercises
External rotation with band
Elbow against the body, bent to 90 degrees, rotate the forearm outwards then return slowly.
To start: 3 sets of 12, 3 seconds back, every other day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- No band, or lying on your side without weight.
- Harder
- Stronger band, then with the arm out at 90 degrees.
- Common mistakes
- Lifting the elbow away from the body.
- Turning the trunk to help.
- Moving on
- When 3 × 15 is easy with no shoulder pain.
Slow wrist extension
Forearm supported, palm down, lift the wrist with a light dumbbell then lower over 3 seconds.
To start: 3 sets of 15, 3 seconds down, every other day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- No weight, or use the other hand to lift and only do the lowering.
- Harder
- Slightly heavier weight.
- Common mistakes
- Moving the whole forearm.
- Lowering fast.
- Moving on
- When 3 × 15 is easy with no elbow pain the next day.
Trunk rotation with band
Band anchored at chest height, rotate the trunk slowly keeping the arms straight and the hips steady.
To start: 3 sets of 10 per side, 3 seconds back, every other day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- Lighter band, small range.
- Harder
- Stronger band, bigger movement.
- Common mistakes
- Turning the hips with the trunk.
- Bending the arms.
- Moving on
- When 3 × 12 is easy with no back pain the next day.
Slow lateral lunge
Take a big step sideways, bend the leading leg, chest up, then return. Build the range gradually.
To start: 3 sets of 8 per side, every other day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- Small step and little bend, one hand on a chair back.
- Harder
- Bigger step, then holding a weight against your chest.
- Common mistakes
- Bent knee caving in.
- Leaning the trunk forward.
- Moving on
- When 3 × 10 is easy with a big step and no discomfort in the inner thigh.
Single-leg balance
Stand 30 seconds on one foot, knee slightly bent. Then with eyes closed, then on a cushion or unstable surface.
To start: 3 holds of 30 seconds per leg, every day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- One hand on a chair, or the tip of the free foot on the floor.
- Harder
- Eyes closed, then on a cushion, then throwing a ball against a wall.
- Common mistakes
- Knee straight and locked.
- Looking at your feet instead of a point ahead.
- Moving on
- When you can hold 30 seconds without putting the other foot down, as on the healthy side.
Lateral shuffles
Knees bent, chest up, weight on the balls of your feet: take 4 to 6 shuffle steps to the right without crossing your feet or bouncing high, then to the left.
To start: 4 rounds of 5 steps each way, at an easy pace, every other day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- Walk sideways, without any airborne phase.
- Harder
- Faster, then reacting to a signal (a partner points the direction).
- Common mistakes
- Standing fully upright between steps.
- Letting the knee cave in as you push off.
- Moving on
- When 6 fast rounds cause no discomfort the next day: move on to your sport’s changes of direction.
External rotation at 90/90
Band anchored in front of you, elbow raised to shoulder height and bent at 90 degrees: rotate the forearm up to vertical, then lower over 3 seconds.
To start: 3 sets of 12, 3 seconds down, every other day.
Variations, mistakes and progression
- Easier
- Elbow lower (45 degrees from the body), light band.
- Harder
- Stronger band, then a 2-second hold at the top, then fast up and slow down.
- Common mistakes
- Letting the elbow drop during the set.
- Arching the back to help the rotation.
- Moving on
- When 3 × 15 is easy and pain-free: bring back throwing or hitting at low intensity.
The doses are starting points. Stay at 2 out of 10 discomfort at most, during and the next day; otherwise switch to the easier version or go back to the previous exercise.
Equipment and set-up
- A racket with the right grip size and moderate string tension.
- Tennis shoes suited to the surface (clay, hard, grass).
- Slower balls (low-compression) to resume.