Your knee has started aching, and lunging for wide balls, stopping quickly or bending low for volleys now come with a twinge. Tennis involves a lot of quick starts, stops and changes of direction. For most recent knee pain, adjusting how you move and play can help it settle while you stay on court.

Why tennis can affect your knee

Tennis asks your knees to bend deeply for low balls, absorb sudden stops and twist as you change direction. The front of the knee around the kneecap is a common spot for pain, especially with lots of lunging and split steps. Hard courts add to the jolt with each step.

Playing more than usual, a jump in singles matches or coming back after a break can raise the load faster than your knee can adapt. In most cases, the knee is irritated rather than damaged.

Reading how your knee responds

A simple traffic-light check can guide your tennis:

• Green. No pain, or a mild ache that settles within an hour. Carry on.
• Amber. An ache that lingers into the evening but has settled by the next morning. Keep playing at the same level rather than adding more.
• Red. Your knee is sorer, stiffer or more swollen the next morning. Ease back next session.

Adjusting how you play

Some changes that can help while your knee settles:

• Choose doubles over singles, which means less court to cover.
• Play shorter sessions, or fewer sets.
• Rally at a steady pace from the baseline, rather than chasing every drop shot.
• Leave out drills with lots of sprinting and lunging for a week or two.
• Let wide balls go in practice, rather than stretching for them.

Moving around the court

How you move can ease the load on your knee:

• Use small adjustment steps, so you reach the ball without a big lunge.
• Turn with your feet, rather than twisting on a planted foot.
• Bend at your hips as well as your knees for low balls.
• Slow down over a few steps, rather than stopping sharply.
• Stay light on your feet between shots, with a gentle bounce, so your knee is ready rather than stiff.

Courts and shoes

Your surface and shoes make a difference:

• Clay and artificial grass are often kinder than hard courts.
• Choose tennis shoes with good cushioning and support around the heel.
• Replace shoes when the soles are worn smooth, as they can grip less evenly.

Warming up

A thorough warm-up helps your knee feel ready. Something to try:

• Jog gently, including side steps.
• Leg swings forwards and backwards.
• Slow squats to a comfortable depth.
• Mini-tennis at the service line before moving back.

Building strength

Strengthening the muscles around your hips and knees helps your knee cope with tennis. Research on pain around the kneecap suggests combining hip and knee strengthening works better than knee exercises alone. Something to try two or three times a week:

• Sit to stand. Rise from a chair without using your hands, then lower slowly.
• Reverse lunges, going only as deep as feels comfortable.
• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly.
• Side-lying leg lifts. Lie on your side and slowly lift your top leg, then lower.
• Heel raises. Rise onto your toes, pause, then lower slowly.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of sit to stands, lunges, bridges and heel raises you can use at your own pace.

Padel and pickleball

If you also play padel or pickleball, the same ideas apply. Both involve lots of short, sharp movements and low balls, so keeping your steps small and your games shorter can help for now.

Everyday knee care

Long spells of sitting with your knees bent can make a sore knee stiff. Straightening your legs every so often, or getting up for a short walk, helps. Taking stairs one step at a time can feel easier for now.

Building back up

When your knee has been in the green for a week or so, you can start bringing back singles, longer matches and lunging drills, one at a time. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how your knee responds.

What to take away

• Lunges, sudden stops and twisting can load a sore knee.
• Choose doubles and shorter sessions for now.
• Use small adjustment steps rather than big lunges.
• Use the traffic-light check to guide each session.
• Strengthen your hips and knees and build back gradually.

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