Over the years that I played professional tennis I tried numerous fitness regimes, some of them worked superbly for me, others were not so effective. In particular I found that excessive running was not conducive to maximum performance. Cardio training, and in particular, long distance running is often cited as the best way to burn fat.

I used to train excessively using this method pounding out in excess of 25 miles a week with the belief that you had to train hard and long to gain maximum benefit. Despite all my hard-work and determination I found that I felt tired, lacked explosiveness and wasn’t losing any fat. Like so many players, in my eagerness to improve, I was over training.

In my experience and opinion it is of vital importance that the staple diet of tennis players, long distance running, is limited and instead training programs are made up of three ‘key’ elements. These are Variety, Intensity and Change. A wide variety of training should be used to ensure all areas of the body are worked; these trainings should cater for the development of all areas of fitness.

Intensity is of vital importance, tennis is an explosive sport played in short, sharp bursts. Replication of this high intensity can help the body deal with the stresses and strains occurred on court. Recent scientific studies have also shown that intensity is also a key component in maximising fat-loss. Most people need to change the training program frequently. The body adapts quickly in response to training and gains from a successful program will soon diminish if the program is not modified regularly.

I would recommend a training program that focuses on intense exercise for a specific purpose. Court sprints are fantastic to encourage specific movements used in a variety of on-court situations. Strength and interval training are both great for promoting protein turnover and better body composition. They also increase calorie burning and maintain a higher metabolic rate even after training is over.

Distance running and cycling are also valuable to promote endurance but should be used sparingly to avoid over-training and injury. Training sessions should last no more than an hour and a half and your body should get sufficient rest at least once every two days. My optimal fitness training regime would be to train 4-5 days per week, two days on, one day off.

Whatever level you are playing at, there is no doubt your game can improve markedly if you follow some sort of fitness regime. It is my belief that if you employ some of the strategies we have talked about in this article you will find an even greater improvement.