Some Thoughts About Athleticism in Tennis
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In my view, tennis and basketball are the sports that have evolved the most in the past 60 years in terms of athleticism.
Tennis requires more athleticism than ever. Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are all super athletes in terms both of general athletic abilities and those athletic abilities that are special and specific to tennis, such as touch shots and sliding. Alcaraz is also extremely athletic.
It’s telling that Sinner’s improved athleticism — particularly retrieving powerful shots from the corners and regaining a central position — has proved a major reason for his much-improved results during the past 14 months under the guidance of Darren Cahill and the rest of his team.
Last November the ATP Next Gen Finals used four tests to measure the athleticism of the elite eight players who competed there.
You can check out the results at https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The tests are the 10-meter sprint, reaction test, agility drill, and vertical jump.
In order of importance for tennis, I would put the 10-meter sprint first, followed by the agility drill, the reaction test, and the vertical jump. Of course, your style of play would change this order. For example, if you’re a serve and volleyer or a groundstroke and volleyer, your reaction time would matter greatly because you’re hitting volleys and half volleys more often than confirmed baseliners.
These four tests are necessary for coaches and teaching pros to measure the athleticism of serious tennis players. But are they sufficient?
Two attributes that Novak Djokovic, the tennis GOAT, possesses in spades are flexibility and balance. On his open-stance backhand on the dead run, Djokovic has demonstrated how important flexibility and balance are. In fact, balance is extremely important in every shot in tennis as well as when running to the ball.
You likely can suggest other tests of athleticism the ATP Next Gen Finals should adopt.
A well-known coach on the pro tour asserted that you either have athleticism or you don’t. That’s an overstatement. In truth, athleticism is a matter of degree for the various athletic abilities. Tennis players at every level often improve one or more of their athletic abilities.
A corollary of this for coaches and teaching pros is devising on-court and off-court drills and exercises that enhance athleticism.
