Ankle injuries, such as sprains, are one of the most common tennis injuries.
Tennis is played around the world both recreationally and competitively. Governed locally by Tennis BC, this fast-paced Olympic racquet sport is played as singles or doubles on a court, hitting a ball across a net. Requiring quick changes in direction, sprains and strains are the most common injuries in tennis.
(see Section 04 - Prevention)
Ankle injuries, such as sprains, are one of the most common tennis injuries.
Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee can occur when playing tennis.
Lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow,” is a common overuse injury in tennis.
Shoulder injuries are a common upper extremity injury in tennis, typically resulting from overuse. This includes rotator cuff tendinitis, impingement, and strains. The dominant shoulder and increased playing time are risk factors specifically associated with shoulder injury.
Although less common than most other tennis injuries, stress fractures can occur in the bones of the hand.
Overuse-related wrist injuries can occur in tennis, and may be related to how the tennis player grips the racquet, or the size of the racquet grip.
Tennis has a low injury risk sport compared to many other sports. Most tennis injuries occur in the lower extremities, followed by the upper extremities, and the lower back. Injury rates for junior competitive players range from 0.6 to 1.7 for every 1,000 hours of tennis. Injury rates are slightly higher for professional adult tennis players, ranging from 2 to 6 injuries for every 1,000 hours of tennis.
It is estimated that...
View Summary of Incidence Rates
Risk factors for sustaining a tennis injury include the court surface, equipment, length of playing time, age, sex, flexibility, and previous history of injury.
Overall, players who played tennis on multiple surfaces had the highest injury rate. Some research suggests male athletes have higher likelihood of injury on hard courts, whereas women have higher injury on clay courts. Hard courts appear to require more injury care during matches than clay courts.
The risk of injury increases the longer you play tennis. The rate of injuries that cause a player to withdraw from the competition doubles after four matches. Total hours of tennis participation can also increase the risk of overuse injuries.
Injury rates among elite junior tennis players ages 12 to 18 years are significantly higher for males than for females. This higher risk of injury among males has not been consistently demonstrated among adult professional tennis players.
Previous history of injury is associated with a nine times higher risk of sustaining a tennis injury.
The size of tennis racquet handle grips can result in overuse injuries for tennis players, specifically tennis elbow. How the player grips the racket may influence which parts of the wrist are injured.
The risk of tennis injury increases with age.
Elite female tennis players with limited hip flexibility have a six times higher risk of sustaining abdominal strains as compared to more flexible players. Professional tennis players with limited shoulder flexibility are more likely to experience shoulder pain.
Youth tennis players who choose to specialize in tennis as their only sport are at increased risk of overuse injuries compared to other overhead sports.
Training and regular practice are expected of athletes, but how much is too much? Your risk of injury can increase if you train too much or improperly. Learn more about how to find your training load “sweet spot.”
Some muscle soreness or joint pain is expected when increasing your level of physical activity. However, it is important to listen to your body for persistent or worsening pain, and to know when to rest. Learn more about how to prevent injuries in tennis.
Talk to your coach or organization about the prevention strategies below and how they might be incorporated into training and policies.
Wearing proper footwear for the court surface may decrease the risk of lower limb overuse injuries in tennis. The size of the grip on the tennis racquet can increase the risk of injury to the wrist. Eye protection may be another consideration due to the high speed of tennis balls. Seek professional advice when buying tennis equipment to ensure the right size and grip.
Training should be tailored to an individual’s physical capacity and ensure court surfaces are considered when planning athletes schedule.
The risk of all lower body injuries may be reduced by up to 50% by regular participation in a balance training exercise program with a resistance training component, such as a neuromuscular training warm-up program. Completing this warm-up program can lower the likelihood of ankle and knee injuries.
Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre has developed a neuromuscular training warm-up program that can be adapted to many sports. Incorporating a warm-up program like this one into your training program at least two times per week has been associated with a significant reduction in lower body injuries.
Click here to view poster.
Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
Adopt strength training exercises designed to prevent injuries to the shoulder and knee. The Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre has developed exercises that specifically help keep the shoulder strong and reduce the risk of injuries. This resource includes videos and PDFs for download.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent shoulder injuries.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent knee injuries.
For more exercises, visit http://fittoplay.org/.
Get Set Neuromuscular Training
The Get Set app contains exercises that can be done at home. Created by the Oslo Sports Trauma Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, and Making Waves AS in 2014 for the International Olympic Committee, the app allows you to search by body part to view exercises that work to strengthen each area of the body, or search by sport to view a library of exercises that are specific to tennis.
Download Get Set for Android.
Download Get Set for iOS.
Sleep, Vigilance and Sport Injury Prevention
Being successful in physical activity requires a high degree of alertness, also known as vigilance. Sufficient sleep helps your body to recover, allows you to achieve your goals, and reduces your risk of injury. Getting less than 8 hours of sleep can increase your rate of injury by up to 70%! Watch this video to learn more about how sleep and vigilance are connected.
Sport-related Physicals
Tennis is a physically demanding sport and some pre-existing conditions may increase the risk of injury. An annual sport-related physical evaluation ensuring fitness to play can help to reduce risk of injury. KidsHealth provides information about what sports physicals are, why they may be appropriate and where you may go to get them.
Learn more about Kids Health Sports Physicals.
Talk to your organization or school about the prevention strategies below and how they might be incorporated into training and policies.
Wearing proper footwear for the court surface may decrease the risk of lower limb overuse injuries in tennis. The size of the grip on the tennis racquet can increase the risk of injury to the wrist. Eye protection may be another consideration due to the high speed of tennis balls. Seek professional advice when buying tennis equipment to ensure the right size and grip.
Training should be tailored to an individual’s physical capacity and ensure court surfaces are considered when planning athletes schedule.
The risk of all lower body injuries may be reduced by up to 50% by regular participation in a balance training exercise program with a resistance training component, such as a neuromuscular training warm-up program. Completing this warm-up program can lower the likelihood of ankle and knee injuries.
Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre has developed a neuromuscular training warm-up program that can be adapted to many sports. Incorporating a warm-up program like this one into your training program at least two times per week has been associated with a significant reduction in lower body injuries.
Click here to view poster.
Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
Adopt strength training exercises designed to prevent injuries to the shoulder and knee. The Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre has developed exercises that specifically help keep the shoulder strong and reduce the risk of injuries. This resource includes videos and PDFs for download.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent shoulder injuries.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent knee injuries.
For more exercises, visit http://fittoplay.org/.
Get Set Neuromuscular Training
The Get Set app contains exercises that can be done at home. Created by the Oslo Sports Trauma Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, and Making Waves AS in 2014 for the International Olympic Committee, the app allows you to search by body part to view exercises that work to strengthen each area of the body, or search by sport to view a library of exercises that are specific to tennis.
Download Get Set for Android.
Download Get Set for iOS.
Facilities
The Ontario Physical Education Association (OPHEA) provides recommendations for safely implementing tennis in secondary schools.
Learn more about implementing tennis in your school.
Sport-related Physicals
Tennis is a physically demanding sport and some pre-existing conditions may increase the risk of injury. An annual sport-related physical evaluation ensuring fitness to play can help to reduce risk of injury. KidsHealth provides information about what sports physicals are, why they may be appropriate and where you may go to get them.
Learn more about Kids Health Sports Physicals.
Talk to your coaches, teachers, organization, or school about the prevention strategies below and how they might be incorporated into training and policies.
Wearing proper footwear for the court surface may decrease the risk of lower limb overuse injuries in tennis. The size of the grip on the tennis racquet can increase the risk of injury to the wrist. Eye protection may be another consideration due to the high speed of tennis balls. Seek professional advice when buying tennis equipment to ensure the right size and grip.
Training should be tailored to an individual’s physical capacity and ensure court surfaces are considered when planning athletes schedule.
The risk of all lower body injuries may be reduced by up to 50% by regular participation in a balance training exercise program with a resistance training component, such as a neuromuscular training warm-up program. Completing this warm-up program can lower the likelihood of ankle and knee injuries.
Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre has developed a neuromuscular training warm-up program that can be adapted to many sports. Incorporating a warm-up program like this one into the coach’s training program at least two times per week has been associated with a significant reduction in lower body injuries
Click here to view poster.
Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
Adopt strength training exercises designed to prevent injuries to the shoulder and knee. The Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre has developed exercises that specifically help keep the shoulder strong and reduce the risk of injuries. This resource includes videos and PDFs for download.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent shoulder injuries.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent knee injuries.
For more exercises, visit http://fittoplay.org/.
Get Set Neuromuscular Training
The Get Set app contains exercises that can be done at home. Created by the Oslo Sports Trauma Centre, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, and Making Waves AS in 2014 for the International Olympic Committee, the app allows you to search by body part to view exercises that work to strengthen each area of the body, or search by sport to view a library of exercises that are specific to tennis.
Download Get Set for Android.
Download Get Set for iOS.
Facilities
The Ontario Physical Education Association (OPHEA) provides recommendations for safely implementing tennis in secondary schools.
Learn more about implementing tennis in your school.
Sport-related Physicals
Tennis is a physically demanding sport and some pre-existing conditions may increase the risk of injury. An annual sport-related physical evaluation ensuring fitness to play can help to reduce risk of injury. KidsHealth provides information about what sports physicals are, why they may be appropriate and where you may go to get them.
Learn more about Kids Health Sports Physicals.
The role of health professionals in preventing tennis injuries has two main components:
Wearing proper footwear for the court surface may decrease the risk of lower limb overuse injuries in tennis. The size of the grip on the tennis racquet can increase the risk of injury to the wrist. Eye protection may be another consideration due to the high speed of tennis balls. Seek professional advice when buying tennis equipment to ensure the right size and grip.
Training should be tailored to an individual’s physical capacity and ensure court surfaces are considered when planning athletes schedule.
The risk of all lower body injuries may be reduced by up to 50% by regular participation in a balance training exercise program with a resistance training component, such as a neuromuscular training warm-up program. Completing this warm-up program can lower the likelihood of ankle and knee injuries.
Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre has developed a neuromuscular training warm-up program that can be adapted to many sports. Incorporating a warm-up program like this one into the coach’s training program at least two times per week has been associated with a significant reduction in lower body injuries.
Click here to view poster.
Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre Neuromuscular Training
Adopt strength training exercises designed to prevent injuries to the shoulder and knee. The Oslo Sport Trauma Research Centre has developed exercises that specifically help keep the shoulder strong and reduce the risk of injuries. This resource includes videos and PDFs for download.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent shoulder injuries.
Learn more about exercises to help prevent knee injuries.
For more exercises, visit http://fittoplay.org/.
Get Set Neuromuscular Training
The Get Set app contains exercises that can be done at home. Created by the Oslo Sports Trauma Centre, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, and Making Waves AS in 2014 for the International Olympic Committee, the app allows you to search by body part to view exercises that work to strengthen each area of the body, or search by sport to view a library of exercises that are specific to tennis.
Download Get Set for Android.
Download Get Set for iOS.
Sport-related Physicals
Tennis is a physically demanding sport and some pre-existing conditions may increase the risk of injury. An annual sport-related physical evaluation ensuring fitness to play can help to reduce risk of injury. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides information about preparticipation physical evaluation.
Learn more about Preparticipation Physical Evaluation.
