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In addition to the high level of skill required to play tennis, to be successful you need, among other things, good spped, power, agility, coordination and aerobic fitness! However, which of these are more important? Below is a discussion about the fitness requirements for tennis, which can help with developing training programs for this sport, and for interpreting fitness testing results and determining the relative strengths and weaknesses of a player.

You Need to be Agile with good Speed and Balance

We have a poll about the component of fitness most important for success in tennis. Out of the options of Body Size and Composition, Muscle Strength, Muscular Endurance, Power, Speed / Quickness, Agility, Flexibility, Balance and Coordination, and Cardiovascular Endurance, the factors which are considered most important by the readers of this site are agility, balance and coordination and speed/quickness. You can add your vote too, and see the latest results.

You Need to be Agile and Quick All Day

Our first analysis of fitness components for tennis, a 1 to 5 rating list of selected components of fitness, found that agility and speed were rated the most important, followed by aerobic and anaerobic fitness (see results). The ability to run fast, and keep doing it all game, is very important. We extended this poll with a larger number of components, the results are below.

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You Need to be Quick and Agile

In a similar poll, we have asked people to rate the 12 factors of success for sports. Visitors to this site have rated each of these factors for the sport of tennis, and the most important according to them are: speed, followed by agility and balance/coordination. You can also add your ratings of Which Factors Make Successful tennis Players, and see the latest results.

Most Important Factors for Success in Order of Importance (data from 2018)

4.4 Speed / Quickness
4.2 Agility
4.1 Balance & Coordination
4.1 Skill and Technique
4.0 Reaction Time
3.9 Motivation & Self Confidence
3.9 Coping with Pressure Situations
3.8 Aerobic Endurance
3.7 Strength & Power
3.7 Analytic & Tactical Ability
3.6 Flexibility
3.2 Body Size and Composition

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Related Pages

• Fitness Testing for Tennis
• Fitness for Tennis
• Discussion about the Fittest Tennis Player of All Time
• Warm-up for Tennis
• Tennis Polls