Strength in Numbers #211
In tennis, the serve is the great equalizer—and the separator. It’s the one shot a player has full control over, and when executed with power and precision, it can dictate the outcome of matches.
I play tennis, I consistently look for ways to enhance the spin and speed of the ball, and sadly, so do my friends in the neighborhood league, who unfortunately end up with shoulder pain and lateral epicondylitis.
We had the opportunity to provide a private educational event in New York City this past weekend, and it was a challenge for me, as our Return Beyond Performance Education, which has largely been baseball-focused, had to take a backseat to other sports such as swimming, volleyball, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, and tennis.
I am going to go a little deeper into the world of tennis, as there are some interesting aspects to consider when preparing the arm for a bullet serve and understanding some key training concepts that help keep players on the court.
Strength doesn’t just matter most to baseball, but in a sport like tennis, weakness in the kinetic chain, especially from the shoulder to the fingertips, causes issues as you must squeeze the racquet and cannot let go.
Open your mind to learning more from other sports – I know I did, and it was interesting to see the connections and the misconceptions about the tennis serve.
Key Biomechanical Features Associated with a High Speed Serve
A high-velocity tennis serve is a masterpiece of biomechanical sequencing. Much like throwing in baseball, energy is generated from the ground up and transferred through the kinetic chain:
- Energy Storage: Driving knee flexion initiates an upward force to elevate the racquet’s position by loading the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and calves, and creates more gravitational energy by raising the center of mass higher above the Earth’s surface.
- Transfer of Energy: The hips and trunk rotate, creating torque that whips through the upper body much like the sequence of rotation for baseball pitchers.
- Generation of Energy: Shoulder internal rotation, elbow extension, and wrist flexion accelerate the racquet head to incredible speeds—easily exceeding 100 mph at contact. Some research has estimated that shoulder internal rotation can reach angular velocities up to 2,400°/s, while the elbow extends at 1,500°/s and wrist flexion peaks around 1,900°/s during a high-level serve.
Tennis has very similar force properties to throwing a baseball, as the fastest serving athletes can have their muscles and tendons transition from a slack state to fully taut in under 80 milliseconds. Think of the racquet is a car that you must pull forward, to move the vehicle forward, rope that is laying raveled up doesn’t make it move, so you have to make sure the rope is tight to pull it, and the best athletes pull the rope tight incredibly fast to redirect the racquet from behind them to in front of them in smashing the ball within 250 ms. Fatigue can significantly impact the early torque capability of tennis athletes, potentially leading to altered motion in the serve and increasing the risk of shoulder and elbow injuries.
Lateral Epicondylitis: The Most Prevalent Injury
Despite the elegance of the motion, the tennis serve places extreme stress on the lateral elbow, particularly on the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB). Repetitive loading during serve deceleration and follow-through often leads to lateral epicondylitis, also known as tennis elbow. Interestingly, this tension-overload injury usually occurs in front of the athlete, where, in baseball players, elbow injuries are generally located on the inside of the forearm, such as flexor strains. These injuries typically occur in the opposite direction, close to the layback.
This overuse injury occurs when microtears develop in the tendon attaching to the lateral epicondyle, causing inflammation, pain, and reduced grip strength.
Correction & Prevention Strategies:
- Balance grip training with shoulder and scapular stabilizer development to prevent load transfer dysfunction.
- Focus on eccentric loading of the wrist extensors during training.
- Implement grip-neutral drills during recovery to reduce stress on the lateral elbow.
- Ensure proper racquet grip size and weight to minimize torque at contact.
- A dampener can reduce the vibrational impacts on the forearm, which may alleviate lateral forearm pain and soreness after play.
The reverse curl exercise is typically not prescribed for throwing athletes; however, it should be part of their arm care programming to ensure they have decelerative strength and can handle high rates of wrist and finger flexion. Here, we present a single-arm variation.
Grip Strength: The Power Imbalance
Strong grip is essential for racquet control—but an imbalance between rapidly increasing forearm strength and underdeveloped shoulder stabilizers can shift stress up the chain. This imbalance often presents as elbow pain, shoulder impingement, or decreased serve consistency.
Solution: Integrate balanced programming that develops both the distal grip and proximal control systems (rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers) to ensure joint integrity during high-speed swings. This is much like baseball, where the shoulder and elbow are connected in acceleration and deceleration patterns.
Fastest Serves on Record
| Rank | Men | Speed (mph) | Women | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Groth | 163.7 | Georgina García Pérez | 137.0 |
| 2 | Albano Olivetti | 160.0 | Aryna Sabalenka | 133.0 |
| 3 | John Isner | 157.2 | Sabine Lisicki | 131.0 |
| 4 | Ivo Karlović | 156.0 | Serena Williams | 128.6 |
| 5 | Milos Raonic | 155.3 | Venus Williams | 128.0 |
| 6 | Ryan Harrison | 152.0 | Julia Görges | 125.0 |
| 7 | Taylor Dent | 149.8 | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | 124.0 |
| 8 | Reilly Opelka | 149.0 | Naomi Osaka | 122.0 |
| 9 | Juan Martín del Potro | 148.0 | Madison Keys | 121.0 |
| 10 | Andy Roddick | 147.0 | Coco Gauff | 119.0 |
Just like the pitching delivery, the tennis serve has a variety of motor preferences and techniques to accomplish high rates of internal shoulder rotation and impact velocity of the racquet. Here, two elite players in the world use very different loading strategies, ball toss locations, and follow-through techniques.
Serve Velocity = Match Advantage
Some of the research on tennis matches indicates the following trends with a high-speed serve:
- A 10 mph increase in first-serve speed can lead to a 5–8% increase in points won on serve.
- The top 10 ATP and WTA players average 65–75% first serve points won.
- Serve speed correlates with shorter rally wins, especially on hard and grass courts.
In short – speed kills, especially when paired with placement.
Tennis serve velocity can be increased by improving broad and lateral jump power, which can sometimes result in a 2-3 MPH increase in serve speed, accompanied by multidirectional lower body power gains. Another key feature is to ensure that the internal rotation strength is continuously improved while maintaining a balanced shoulder from front to back. That is the optimal pairing of accelerators and decelerators when holding an implement, such as a tennis racquet.
Equipment Note: Racquet Weight
- Most professional racquets range from 300 to 340 grams (10.6–12 oz).
- Heavier racquets increase potential serve power but require greater grip and shoulder strength to control—highlighting the importance of complete kinetic chain stability.
- Grip strength is undeniably essential for controlling the racquet and increasing the impact factor, as the strings collide with the tennis ball at the apex of the swing.
Tennis players, like baseball players, must pay attention to their rate of increase in grip strength. If grip strength increases significantly, we must ensure the throwing arm receives lateral eccentric strengthening exposure to balance out the rise in wrist flexion speeds. Here, the stance is altered to further interconnect the ground, the core, and the exercising arm in preventing lateral epicondylitis.
Key Takeaway: Build the Serve, Protect the Arm
Whether you’re serving at 90 or 130 mph, the principles remain the same: ground-up power, precise sequencing, and well-balanced strength. Preventing injuries like lateral epicondylitis starts by addressing imbalances in grip, forearm, and shoulder strength—not just chasing speed.
Because in tennis, serving smart is just as important as serving hard, but nothing is more critical to the longevity of a tennis player than having a powerful arm, one that recovers, one that is balanced, and one that can handle high workloads all year long.
Strength Matters Most,
Ryan
Ryan@armcare.com
