Research
Mixed
Tennis training must be specific to match the sport's intermittent nature (points of 3-15 seconds with 1:2 to 1:5 work-to-rest ratios) rather than relying on general endurance or continuous aerobic training.
Stop training tennis like you are running a marathon. Design your drills to mimic actual match conditions: short bursts of high intensity (3-15 seconds) followed by specific rest periods (1:3 to 1:5 work-to-rest ratio). Focus on stop-start movements and multidirectional agility rather than continuous jogging.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
It identifies specific studies that support the premise that tennis has physiological requirements which need to be understood when designing training and research programmes... It is recommended, like all sports, that tennis athletes train in a specific manner to improve tennis-specific performance... Most training drills should simulate the time requirements experienced during match play (5–20 seconds) with appropriate work to rest ratios (1:3 to 1:5).
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review of multiple studies (Medline/Sportdiscus) with consistent findings on work/rest ratios and physiological demands.
Source
Applied physiology of tennis performance
Mark S. Kovacs · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2006
DOI 10.1136/bjsm.2005.023309
narrative_reviewCited 374×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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