Tennis Warmup Routine for Junior Players: A Complete Guide

A proper warmup is one of the most overlooked aspects of junior tennis. Jumping straight into hitting without warming up leads to slower starts, more errors in the first few games, and a higher risk of injury. Here's a complete warmup routine that takes about 15 minutes.

Why Warming Up Matters

Cold muscles are tight muscles. When you start hitting hard without warming up, your body can't move efficiently. A good warmup increases blood flow, loosens your joints, and gets your brain focused on tennis. Professional players spend 20-30 minutes warming up before every match — juniors should do the same (scaled down).

Phase 1: Light Cardio (3-4 Minutes)

Start with light movement to get your heart rate up:

• Jog around the court twice at an easy pace
• High knees from baseline to net and back
• Butt kicks from baseline to net and back
• Side shuffles along the baseline (both directions)
• Carioca (grapevine) steps along the baseline

Phase 2: Dynamic Stretches (3-4 Minutes)

Dynamic stretches (moving stretches) are better than static stretches before playing. Save static stretching for after your match.

• Arm circles — 10 forward, 10 backward
• Trunk rotations — feet planted, rotate upper body side to side
• Walking lunges — 5 each leg across the court
• Leg swings — hold the net post, swing each leg forward/back 10 times
• Wrist circles — 10 each direction to loosen the hitting arm
• Shoulder stretch with racket — hold racket behind your back, gently pull

Phase 3: Mini-Tennis (3-4 Minutes)

Start at the service line with your hitting partner. Rally softly using just your wrist and forearm. This gets your hand-eye coordination dialed in and helps you find your timing before moving back to the baseline. Gradually increase the pace and move back a few steps at a time.

Phase 4: Baseline Rally and Serves (4-5 Minutes)

Once you've worked back to the baseline, hit some rally balls at moderate pace. Focus on clean contact and footwork, not power. Then hit 10-15 practice serves, starting with spin serves before going to full-speed first serves.

Match Day Tip

On match days, do your cardio and dynamic stretches before you even get on the court. That way when the official 5-minute warmup starts, you can go straight to hitting and make the most of that limited time with your opponent.