Tennis and Padel Articles: Game Insights
Discover valuable experiences, opinions, and knowledge to make tennis and padel more exciting and accessible.
The pre-season in tennis is a critical period that precedes the start of the competitive calendar. Its primary objective is to prepare tennis players both physically and mentally to face the challenges of the upcoming sports year. This phase includes increased physical training load to enhance strength, endurance, and speed, as well as intense court practices to refine technique and tactics.
Pre-Season in Tennis
For what level of players is it useful?
The pre-season is beneficial for players of all levels:
Competitive Players:
For them, it is essential. The pre-season allows them to work on specific aspects of their game that are harder to address during the season due to constant travel and competition.
Beginners:
Even if they do not compete, a pre-season can help them establish a solid physical and technical base for their future development.
Amateur Players:
Although their schedule is not as demanding as that of professionals, benefiting from a structured training period helps them improve their game and prepare for local or regional tournaments.
How is it distributed throughout the year?
For professional players, the pre-season typically takes place at the end of the year, after the tournament circuit has concluded, usually in November and December. This gives them time to rest after a tough season and then start intense physical and technical preparation before the circuit begins again in January with the Australian Open.
Amateur and beginner players may not have such a defined calendar, but they, too, can benefit from establishing a customized pre-season, perhaps before their local tournaments or competitions begin.
Personal experience with players:
Throughout my career, I have worked with a wide range of players. One of the most notable cases was with a young player who came to me with great potential but serious deficiencies in his physical condition. During the pre-season, we focused on improving his endurance through specific cardiovascular workouts and his power with tennis-oriented strength training sessions. In addition, we spent hours on the court working on his consistency from the baseline, improving his forehand, and developing a more aggressive game strategy.
The result was remarkable. Not only did he start the season in better physical shape, but his confidence on the court also grew enormously. He could compete in longer matches without signs of fatigue, and his technical improvement led him to win several tournaments in his category. This transformation was a clear example of the impact that a well-planned and executed pre-season can have on a tennis player's performance.
please authorize