Episode Details

You can tell a lot about how a match will go before the first ball is even struck. If you’ve ever walked onto the court feeling tight, rushed, or a step slow, this conversation gives you a simple fix that also happens to be one of the best tools for tennis injury prevention.

I’m joined by Palmetto Bluff tennis professional Tim Keller, a longtime coach with a master’s degree in exercise kinesiology, to unpack what “preparation” really means for recreational tennis players and competitive athletes. We get specific about a 5–8 minute dynamic warm-up for tennis: light jogging, arm circles, side-to-side movement, grapevine steps for hip mobility, lunges and lateral lunges, balance-based stretches, rotation for the spine and shoulders, plus the small joints people forget like wrists and even the neck. Tim also explains why music and momentum matter more than most players think when it comes to getting your mind and body ready to perform.

From there, we shift into recovery and longevity. We talk static stretching after tennis, flexibility, and why older athletes should be smarter about volume and intensity so they can keep playing without paying for it the next day. Then we go deep on the mental game: The Inner Game of Tennis, breath control, relaxing your grip, simple attention cues, and visualization that helps you handle pressure and find your own version of flow state.

If you want better tennis performance, fewer nagging aches, and a warm-up routine you’ll actually do, press play. Subscribe, share this with a tennis friend who “warms up” by guessing, and leave a review with your favorite pre-match ritual.