I’ve recently started to have knee pain after playing tennis. Are there any type of exercises to strengthen the knees? Second question, do you have any suggestions to improve mobility on the tennis court? I always seem to come to the ball late and never make a good shot.—T. Nguyen

Knee problems are hugely common in a pounding sport like tennis. But that doesn’t meet that you can’t avoid it. An answer to both of these problems might be increased flexibility. Often times, knee pain comes when the tendons in your legs are too tight and rigid to withstand the stress you put on them with quick starts, stops and changes of direction in tennis. So to keep your knees ready to hit the court, warm up properly each time you play, doing a 5–10-minute jog followed by dynamic stretches. After you play, make sure to cool down properly with more dynamic stretches or some static stretches. Another great way to loosen up tight tendons and bands is to use a foam roller to massage your legs (learn how from Victoria Azarenka). But depending on the severity of the pain, it might be something more serious than tight tendons and bands, so you should have your knees checked out by a doctor.

Another important factor to avoiding knee pain is, as you mention, building strength. You asked for exercises to strengthen the knees, but what’s really important is strengthening the muscles around the knees. When your quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles are strong, they offer support and keep the knee joint stable. Go here for a TENNIS article on knee health that includes strength exercises and a good stretch for flexibility.

As for mobility on court, you have it right that arriving at the ball in time to get in position is key to hitting consistent strokes. In addition to helping keep you be pain-free, flexibility also plays an important part in your movement. If you keep your muscles limber with regular stretching, both dynamic and static, your body will be more prepared to get moving. Other things factor in as well, like maintaining the proper weight (a few extra pounds can weigh you down on court) and leg strength (which can be increased with strength training and footwork drills). Check out the Health & Fitness section of the upcoming November/December issue of TENNIS for a flexibility workout geared toward improving movement around the court.