How to train tennis fitness: intervals, not long runs

Recover between points. Win the third hour.

Key facts

1
The ball is in play for only about 20 to 30 % of total match time.
Fernandez, Mendez-Villanueva & Pluim, BJSM 2006
2
Tennis points typically last under 10 seconds, with 18 to 20 seconds between points and about 90 seconds at changeovers.
Fernandez, Mendez-Villanueva & Pluim, BJSM 2006, and Kovacs, Sports Medicine 2007
3
The work-to-rest ratio in tennis runs from about 1:2 to 1:5.
Fernandez, Mendez-Villanueva & Pluim, BJSM 2006, and Kovacs, Sports Medicine 2007
4
Elite male players reach a VO2max of 50 to about 70 mL/kg/min, with body fat under 12 %.
Kovacs, Sports Medicine 2007
5
Heart rate during match play sits around 60 to 80 % of maximum.

Why it works

Three energy pathways make ATP, and they run at once. Only the blend shifts. The phosphagen system is instant and tiny. It fires the serve and the first two steps, and it empties in about 6 to 10 seconds. Glycolysis carries a long rally.

The aerobic system is slow and nearly bottomless, and its job in tennis isn't the point. Between points it rebuilds phosphocreatine and clears what the rally left behind. A fitter aerobic engine means a fuller tank at the next serve.

So train the systems the way a match spends them. Intervals at about 10 seconds on and 20 to 30 seconds off load the phosphagen and glycolytic systems in the match's ratio and force the aerobic engine to refill under time pressure. A steady jog trains a system tennis never runs steadily.

The line to say on court
“Bursts on an engine. The engine works between points.”

Drill: The 1:2 block

15 min · alone

After a warm-up, sprint sideline to sideline for 10 seconds, touching each line, then walk back for 20 seconds. Do ten reps. Count your touches on the first rep.
Rest exactly 90 seconds, like a changeover. Do two more sets. Count your touches on the last rep of each set.
Log both counts and retest every four weeks.

Number to beat0 touches lost between your first rep and your last rep

More drills like this: practise alone, warm-up and fitness

Faults and fixes

Running miles at a jog

It trains a steady system tennis never runs steadily.

FixDo intervals at 10 seconds on, 20 to 30 seconds off.

Resting until you feel fresh

It turns the session into sprint work, and the refill never gets stressed.

FixSet a timer for 20 seconds, not "when ready".

Doing intervals at the end of a two-hour hit

You train slow, sloppy movement.

FixDo speed work when fresh and conditioning after.

Skipping the 90-second rest

The changeover is part of the ratio.

FixRest exactly 90 seconds between sets.

Questions players ask

Is running good for tennis fitness?

Steady distance running trains the wrong pattern. Tennis is short bursts with short rests, so intervals at about 10 seconds on and 20 to 30 seconds off match it better.

What energy system does tennis use?

All three at once, with the blend shifting. The phosphagen system fires each point, glycolysis carries long rallies, and the aerobic system refills you between points.

How long is a tennis point?

Usually under 10 seconds, with 18 to 20 seconds between points. The ball is in play for only about 20 to 30 % of a match.

Why do I need an aerobic base for tennis?

Not for the rally. Your aerobic system refills your short-burst energy in the 20 seconds between points, so a bigger base means a fuller tank at the next serve.

What this doesn't cover

How directly a lab VO2max score transfers to recovery on court is debated. Point and rest lengths shift with surface, sex and level, so treat the numbers as ranges. The sets and reps in the drill are a starting point, not a prescription from the research.

Sources

Fernandez, Mendez-Villanueva & Pluim, "Intensity of tennis match play," British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006
Kovacs, "Tennis physiology: training the competitive athlete," Sports Medicine, 2007
"Tennis play intensity distribution and relation with aerobic fitness," PLOS One

TrainHow to warm up for tennis and recover between matchesWarm up with 12 to 20 minutes of movement, not static stretching: raise your temperature, activate the muscles you'll load, mobilize the joints, then potentiate with sprints and ramped serves. Long static holds before play can briefly cut power. For recovery, sleep comes first, then food and sodium-containing fluids. Ice baths and compression sit lower on the evidence ladder.TrainHow to get faster on the tennis courtTo get faster on a tennis court, train the stop and the read, not the sprint. A point is a few short bursts that each end in a brake. Planned cone drills and reactive agility share less than half their variance, so drills where a partner calls the direction after your first step transfer to the court better than ladders.TrainWhich gym training makes your tennis serve fasterThe gym work that makes your serve faster is a mixed programme: heavy lifts to raise your strength, plus rotational throws and jumps that teach you to use it fast. In a 2024 meta-analysis, multimodal programmes raised serve speed most and core-only work didn't reach significance. A serve's acceleration lasts under a quarter of a second, so strength has to be expressed quickly.TrainHow do tennis pros practice, and what can you copyTennis pros practice in blocks with a purpose: activation, drilling to a target, live patterns, serves as a separate block, then a cool-down. The part you can copy is the week, not the strokes. Give the serve its own block, end some sessions with a tired, scored game, and cut volume but keep intensity before a match.