How I warm up before a tennis match

Ever been sent to the tennis court for a match before you even had time to warm up? I was, not too long ago. And it wasn't pretty 🤯.

But I learnt the lesson: no more last-minute arrivals, no more check-ins before I'm actually dressed up, warmed up and ready to play. Bottom line: no more rush 💆🏼‍♀️.

And if for some reason I'm called to the court 📣 before I'm ready, I just ask for 10 minutes ⏰. You get what you ask for, they say. So why not try?!

Anyway... the point is, to perform at my best I need my warm up routine. If I skip it, it's pretty much 💯 guaranteed I'll have a slow start 🐌. And who wants that? Not someone who wants to win at all costs 🏆.

That's why lately I've been perfecting my pre-match warm up routine: to keep it short, effective and fun, so there's absolutely no reason to skip it.

I'm Elena Margaria 👋🏻 and just like you, I'm on a mission to become the best tennis player I can 🥇. Even without a fancy team, or too much talent. Just with a huge desire to make it. That's why Tennis Rematch exists: to share everything I learn along the way 🤓, so you can get better faster, and together we can prove that we can achieve anything we set our mind to 🔥.

Have a read at my pre-match warm up routine, and if you want to steal some ideas to build your own go ahead, permission granted 😉.

Beforehand though, I added a little recap on why the pre-match warm up is so important and how a good one looks like. I hope you don't mind 😉.

And here's the table of contents, in case you wanna skip to my warm-up routine straight away 👇🏻.

Why to warm up before a tennis match?

How many times have you been recommended not to skip the warm up before a match? Many I bet 😅. And that's true, you shouldn't!

But you know why? Let me tell you. Because a good warm up allows you to:

❇️ cut the risk of injuries ✂️

❇️ start your match at full speed 🔥

And isn't that something you want? Of course it is!

You don't wanna risk compromising your future because you're too lazy to spend half an hour warming up, do you?

And then, of course you want to get an early lead in the match! It may just be the difference between losing and winning the match.

Ok, but how does a good pre-match warm up look like? Let's see that next.

What is a good pre-match warm up?

A good tennis warm up is one that prepares your body for the stress of playing a match.

Said differently, a good warm up should:

✅ get your heart pumping ❤️

✅ lengthen your muscles and open up your joints ⚙️

✅ activate your muscles 💪🏻

✅ boost your reactivity and coordination 👣

✅ get your brain fully focused 🧠

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it❓ I know I know 🙄, but it's actually easier done than said, I promise! Just take a look at my pre-match routine: in about 25 min I'm able to tick off the list all those items and be ready to step on the court more energized and prepared than ever ⚡️.

My pre-match warm up routine

To achieve all the goals mentioned above, my pre-match warm up is structured in this way:

❤️ 5 min cardio → either a little run or rope skipping, depending on the available space, just to break my breath and get my heart pumping

⚙️ 5 min range of movement → a bunch of dynamic exercises that help mobilize my joints and lengthen my muscles, to make sure my body is in sync and works properly

💪🏻 5 min muscle activation → a little sequence of band resistance exercises to wake up my muscles and get them ready to work at their full potential

👣 5 min agility → fun ladder exercises and drills with tennis balls that focus on agility and coordination, so when it's time to step on the court I feel more like a feather than an elephant

🧠 5 min shadowswings → strokes mimicking without and with the racket to remind my brain of the right movements

As you can see, you don't need lots of time: 25 min usually do the work for me! So I'm sorry, but no more excuses 😝! Make sure you find the routine that works for you, and just go through it 45 min before your match. You'll be surprised how much easier your initial games will go by 🙌🏻!

If you'd like to see the exact warmup sequence I do before every single match, let me know in the comments: I may give it a thought and hand it to you!

And don't forget: if you liked this post, please leave me a clap (or two). It's a small act for you, but it would mean a lot for me 💕.