How Wrist Stability Protects Your tennis Game

When most tennis players think about improving their tennis game, they focus on footwork, racquet speed, string tension, or endurance. While all of these are important, there’s one often-overlooked key to both performance and injury prevention: wrist stability.

Your wrist is the physical bridge between your body and the racquet. It not only affects the power and accuracy of your shots but also plays a crucial role in long-term joint health.

Why Wrist Stability Matters

Wrist health often takes a backseat to more talked-about areas like the shoulder or elbow. The repetitive nature of tennis—forehands, backhands, volleys, and serves—puts constant stress on your wrist's ligaments and tendons.

Think of the wrist as the fine-tuning station of your swing. If it's not doing its job, the larger (but less precise) muscles in the elbow and shoulder begin to compensate. Over time, this imbalance can lead to:

• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

• Tendonitis in the shoulder or elbow

• Loss of grip strength and control

What Does a Stable Wrist Mean?

Stability doesn't mean your wrist should be stiff or locked. A firm but flexible wrist is ideal. You can move it before and after the stroke, but during contact, your wrist should be neutral and stable.

A stable wrist allows energy from your legs and core to flow smoothly through your arm into the racquet. This creates more efficient power and better control—with less strain on your body.

Common Causes of Wrist Instability in Tennis

As a physical therapist who works with tennis players regularly, I see a few common patterns that lead to wrist instability:

1. Weak Forearm and Grip Strength

If your forearm can’t handle the force of a fast-moving ball, the ball ends up controlling you— not the other way around. This lack of control makes the wrist prone to hyperextension and overuse injuries.

2. Excessive Wrist Motion (Flicking and Breaking)

• Flicking: A quick, uncontrolled snap of the wrist at impact, usually to compensate for poor body positioning.

• Breaking: Letting the wrist collapse during volleys or serves.

Both reduce consistency and increase stress on your arm, especially when the rest of your mechanics aren’t aligned due to the poor racquet angle. 

3. Poor Kinetic Chain Mechanics

Many players swing mostly with their arms, instead of using their entire body. Ideally, power should flow from the legs → hips → core → shoulder → elbow → wrist → racquet.

I often say, "Recruit more muscles to take the load off your wrist." Let the bigger, stronger muscles do the work, while your wrist focuses on precision and control.

How to Improve Wrist Stability

1. Strengthen With Purpose

Strength alone isn’t enough—targeted, tennis-specific strength training makes the difference:

• Focus on concentric, eccentric, and isometric exercises in various stroke simulations

• Mimic tennis strokes to build functional strength

• Train for power, endurance, and control

• Don’t isolate—work on the entire kinetic chain

2. Train Mobility and Control

Mobility without stability is just flexibility. Drills that improve both will help you:

• Maintain proper wrist position during fast movements

• Improve proprioception (your awareness of joint position)

• Reduce strain during awkward hits

3. Master Your Footwork

Footwork is everything. When you move efficiently:

• You arrive at the ball balanced and in position

• Your wrist doesn’t have to overcompensate

• You’re more likely to hit clean, centered shots

Footwork is the foundation of good wrist stability. Many coaches say that 70–80% of tennis success comes from proper footwork positioning. Let your lower body put you in the best position— so your wrist doesn't have to save the shot.

4. Choose the Right Racquet Setup

Working with a coach to fine-tune your gear can reduce unnecessary stress on your wrist. Consider:

• Racquet weight and balance

• String type and tension

• Grip size

( Check out my previous post, “How Your Tennis Strings (and Grip Size) Could Be Causing Your Injuries” for more on this.)

Final Thoughts

Wrist stability is one of the most underrated pillars of tennis performance and injury prevention. Pain doesn’t have to be part of your tennis journey—and it shouldn’t be what holds you back. Your wrist—and your game—will thank you. If you’ve been struggling with wrist pain, flicking during your strokes, or feeling like your racquet controls you (instead of the other way around), talk to a physical therapist who understands the sport.

We don’t just treat pain—we identify the root cause, strengthen the weak links, and help you move more efficiently. Whether you’re recovering, optimizing, or just looking to stay in the game, physical therapy can give your body the support it needs.