How Tennis Stars Use This Total-Body Workout to Build Incredible Strength

Unfortunately, Basic says tennis matches can last up to five hours. To oust the competition you need complete physical prowess: bursts of strength and power, high levels of speed and agility, Energizer Bunny-endurance, and proper recovery.

“The balance between how much load I put my body through and making sure that I’m recovering in between so that I'm not depleting myself too much before the next workout is important,” says Raonic. “If I can't recover, that leads to injuries, then I lose time.”

With the U.S. Open in full swing in New York, Basic shared three workouts that Milos might work through after his time on the court. Do them on your own with Basic’s weight modifications for the everyday athlete.

U.S. Open Ball Boy Tryouts:

STRENGTH

Basic aims to keep Raonic’s body fresh and improve strength without increasing his muscle mass or body weight. How that’s done: by keeping sets and reps below 5. “Rest between sets should be long enough to be ready to do next set with same intensity (around 2 minutes),” he says.

Turkish Get Up
Complete 1 set of 5 reps on each arm.
Raonic uses a 50-pound kettlebell. Basic suggests 25 to 35 pounds, but notes form is more important than weight.

“This is great for core and for shoulder stability,” says Raonic. “It takes a while to do the technique properly, but once you can do it, it forces you to use your whole body and be sharp.”

Goblet Squat
Complete 5 sets of 5 reps.
Raonic uses a 100-pound dumbbell. Basic suggests 35 to 45 pounds.

Lateral Squat (Rack Position)
Complete 5 sets of 5 reps on each leg.
Raonic uses a 50-pound kettlebell. Basic suggests 35 pounds.

“The hips take a lot of force and they have to be strong in a lot of different stretches and positions,” says Raonic. “A lot of tennis players’ strength comes from the hips and legs. It’s important to be stable and quick or you compensate with your back or ankles or knees.”

POWER

“Milos wants to have the same quality for all sets and to do it with maximal effort,” says Basic. “So, reps will be low (under 5) and rest long enough to keep the same speed in all sets (about 1 minute).”

Barbell High Pull (With Snatch Grip)
Complete 5 sets of 5 reps.
Raonic uses 100 pounds. Basic suggests around 65 pounds but notes technique and speed is more important than weight.

Squat Jump with Dumbbells
Complete 5 sets of 5 reps.
Raonic uses 50 pounds. Basic suggests 30-pound dumbbells.

“I do a lot of complex movements that hit the whole body over with as few exercises as possible to get most out of each movement,” says Raonic.

Kettlebell Swing
Complete 10 sets of 5 reps.
Raonic uses about 60 pounds. Basic suggests starting with 35 to 50 pounds.

“This gets you pumping out of the hips and glutes and forces you to use your hamstrings and quads. It hits the lower body well and creates stability and speed,” says Raonic.

Forehand, Backhand, and Overhead Medicine Ball Throws
Complete 9 to 12 sets of 5 reps of each throw.
Raonic uses 20-pound balls. Start with a medicine ball that’s 10 percent of your bodyweight, suggests Basic.

Stand diagonally about 6.5 feet from a wall like you want to imitate a forehand groundstroke. Do 3 to 4 sets. Then do 3 to 4 sets of “backhand,” then 3 to 4 sets overhead.

ENDURANCE

Versa Climber or Air Bike
For 15 seconds, move as fast as possible. Then move slowly until heart rate goes down (Raonic waits till his hits 120 beats per minute). Repeat for a total of 20 minutes. “The goal is to have as many sets as you can in 20 minutes,” says Basic. “That means that your heart rate need to go down fast—one of the indicators of good conditioning.”

“Active recovery helps clean out my body and get my blood pumping,” says Raonic. “I can speed up my recovery without excessive load.”