Recovery Phase

Finally, the player moves to ready position behind the baseline in order to prepare for following shot. The racquet is held out front with both hands, feet are spread shoulder-width apart, and knees are slightly flexed. The player looks ahead to view the ball, court, and opponent.

Shoulder Girdle:

Right and left shoulder girdles are abducted through concentric contraction of serratus anterior and pectoralis minor.

Shoulder Joint:

Right and left shoulder joints are internally rotated with concentric contraction of latissimus dorsi, teres major, pectoralis major, and subscapularis.

Elbow Joint:

Right and left elbow joints are flexed with concentric contraction of biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis.

Hip Joint:
Right hip is flexed back to neutral position through concentric contraction of iliacus, psoas major and minor, rectus femoris, sartorius, pectineus, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae.

Left hip is extened back to neutral position with concentric contraction of adductor magnus, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus.

Knee Joint:
Right and left knees are flexed by concentric contraction of biceps femoris, popliteus, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus.

EXERCISE 1: Back Squats

A very important physical element for tennis in both movement around the court and the serve is leg strength. The force in powerful shots and serves is initiated by driving the legs and feet into the ground. The harder the legs and feet are driven, the more force that can be generated and potentially transferred to the racquet. However, it is very essential to have high leg strength in order to generate and increase force and power.

An exercise that effectively helps in building strength and power in the legs is the back squat (pictured above). Lighter weights can be used for beginners in order to develop proper form first, especially in stabilization. Joints that are heavily worked on throughout this exercise include the hips (abduction, flexion, and extension) and knees (flexion and extension). Those that are more advanced should be able to move on to heavier weights to further stimulate the fast twitch muscle fibers that are used in serving and movement around the court.

EXERCISE 2: Bicep Curls

Another important physical element in developing a powerful serve is arm strength, particularly in the elbow joint. During a serve or stroke the arm works as a second-class lever where the elbow joint acts as an axis of rotation. Along with the shoulder joint, it contributes to the movement and control of the racquet (resistance) through force that is generated and applied (mainly by the elbow flexor muscles). It is therefore very essential to strengthen and maintain full range of motion (ROM) of the arm and elbow joint in order to efficiently apply force and generate velocity, especially during a serve.

Bicep curls are very effective in strengthening the arm and elbow joint, while also incorporating ROM. This exercise targets the elbow flexor muscles: biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. These muscles undergo concentric contraction during the lifting phase of the weights (elbow flexion) and eccentric contraction during the lowering phase (elbow extension). Different grips can be used to target certain muscles: supinated (biceps brachii, brachialis), pronated (brachialis), and neutral (brachioradialis, brachialis). The workout can be performed either standing or sitting in a chair or physioball for balance.

EXERCISE 3: Shoulder Extensions

Strengthening of the shoulder is perhaps the most crucial in developing and maintaining a strong serve. Shoulder injuries and other related issues occur frequently among tennis players and can be very damaging. Shoulder extensions with a strengthening band, weights, or on a cable column are very productive in working the shoulder joint.

Bringing back the racquet through movement of the shoulder in the preparation phase greatly contributes to the build up of force and energy required for the acceleration and follow through phases. Making a powerful and effective serve requires high levels of strength and flexibility and a complete range of motion of the shoulder joint. Therefore, it is also very important to incorporate a thorough workout of the shoulder joint that includes flexion, abduction, adduction, external and internal rotation, diagonal abduction, and diagonal adduction.