Written by Kuder Alseneid, Physiotherapist
Junior tennis injuries are something I see week in, week out working at fit8 in Wimbledon. Over the past six months, a clear pattern has emerged. The same injuries keep coming through the door, often for the same reasons.
The good news? Most of them are preventable.
Why Junior Players Are Different
It's tempting to think of young athletes as smaller, more resilient versions of adults, but when it comes to injury risk, they're a different story. During growth spurts, bones can lengthen faster than the surrounding muscles and tendons can keep up, creating periods of real vulnerability around the knee, heel, and lower back. Add in the repetitive, asymmetrical demands of tennis and you've got a recipe for overuse injuries if training load isn't managed carefully.
I work alongside Kieron, our S&C coach at fit8 and a former professional tennis player. He puts it well: young players are rarely injured because they're weak. They're injured because the demands placed on them outpace their body's ability to adapt.
The Injuries I See Most Often
Knee Pain (Osgood-Schlatter Disease)
The most common presentation I see in players aged 10 to 15. It causes pain and swelling just below the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches to the shin, aggravated by the repeated quad loading of running and jumping. The most common mistake is telling a child to push through it. What actually helps is relative rest, targeted quad and hip strengthening, and smart load management. Most players can stay on court with modifications.
Shoulder Overuse
In players who serve heavily, I regularly see rotator cuff irritation and early signs of impingement. The mistake parents and coaches often make is focusing solely on the shoulder itself. In most cases, the real issue is a lack of strength and stability around the scapula and thoracic spine. The shoulder is taking the hit because the foundation around it hasn't been developed. A targeted strengthening programme and careful monitoring of serve volume goes a long way.
Wrist and Elbow Pain
Repetitive groundstrokes place significant demand on the forearm and its attachment points. I frequently see medial elbow pain and wrist irritation, particularly in players using heavy topspin or who've recently changed technique or racket. Worth flagging: growth plate injuries in the wrist are often underdiagnosed. The growth plates are softer than bone and can be damaged more easily than people assume. Persistent wrist pain in a young player needs proper assessment, not just rest and hope.
Junior tennis performance gear audit
Heel Pain (Sever's Disease)
Similar to Osgood-Schlatter but at the heel, Sever's disease affects the growth plate at the back of the heel bone. It's common in players training on hard courts during growth spurts. Tight calves compound the problem quickly. Regular calf stretching, heel cushioning, and appropriate load management can prevent this almost entirely.
Lower Back Pain
This one surprises some parents, but it's genuinely common. The tennis serve creates significant extension and rotation forces through the lumbar spine, and if a player's core isn't strong enough to support this, the back compensates. More seriously, I occasionally see stress fractures (spondylolysis) in young players — a crack in part of the vertebra caused by repeated hyperextension. This requires imaging to diagnose and is often missed because it presents as vague back pain that players tend to push through. Any junior with persistent back pain, especially worse with serving, needs to be properly assessed.
What Prevention Actually Looks Like
Monitor training load. Sudden spikes in volume are one of the biggest risk factors for overuse injuries. As a rough rule of thumb, I advise no more than a 20% increase in training volume week on week, a guideline I use regularly with the young athletes I work with.
Junior tennis physiology
Treat strength training as essential. Junior players who do regular S&C work are less likely to get injured and recover faster when they do. Consistency matters far more than complexity at this level.
Create space for players to speak up. Junior athletes often hide pain because they don't want to miss training or let people down. Making it normal and safe to flag discomfort early is one of the most valuable things a parent or coach can do.
Consider a physio screen before there's a problem. A movement and strength assessment can catch vulnerabilities before they become injuries. Think of it like a dental check-up, you don't wait until something hurts.
The players I see thriving long-term are supported by a team of parents, coaches and practitioners who communicate well and take early warning signs seriously. You don't need to wrap your child in cotton wool. You just need to pay attention, build good habits early, and know when to ask for help.
If your child is showing any of these signs, we offer physio screenings and assessments at fit8 in Wimbledon. To book or get in touch, email kuder@fit8.co.uk
Common Injuries in Young Tennis Players (And How to Prevent Them)
Written by Kuder Alseneid, Physiotherapist
Junior tennis injuries are something I see week in, week out working at fit8 in Wimbledon. Over the past six months, a clear pattern has emerged. The same injuries keep coming through the door, often for the same reasons.
The good news? Most of them are preventable.
Why Junior Players Are Different
It's tempting to think of young athletes as smaller, more resilient versions of adults, but when it comes to injury risk, they're a different story. During growth spurts, bones can lengthen faster than the surrounding muscles and tendons can keep up, creating periods of real vulnerability around the knee, heel, and lower back. Add in the repetitive, asymmetrical demands of tennis and you've got a recipe for overuse injuries if training load isn't managed carefully.
I work alongside Kieron, our S&C coach at fit8 and a former professional tennis player. He puts it well: young players are rarely injured because they're weak. They're injured because the demands placed on them outpace their body's ability to adapt.
The Injuries I See Most Often
Knee Pain (Osgood-Schlatter Disease)
The most common presentation I see in players aged 10 to 15. It causes pain and swelling just below the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches to the shin, aggravated by the repeated quad loading of running and jumping. The most common mistake is telling a child to push through it. What actually helps is relative rest, targeted quad and hip strengthening, and smart load management. Most players can stay on court with modifications.
Shoulder Overuse
In players who serve heavily, I regularly see rotator cuff irritation and early signs of impingement. The mistake parents and coaches often make is focusing solely on the shoulder itself. In most cases, the real issue is a lack of strength and stability around the scapula and thoracic spine. The shoulder is taking the hit because the foundation around it hasn't been developed. A targeted strengthening programme and careful monitoring of serve volume goes a long way.
Wrist and Elbow Pain
Repetitive groundstrokes place significant demand on the forearm and its attachment points. I frequently see medial elbow pain and wrist irritation, particularly in players using heavy topspin or who've recently changed technique or racket. Worth flagging: growth plate injuries in the wrist are often underdiagnosed. The growth plates are softer than bone and can be damaged more easily than people assume. Persistent wrist pain in a young player needs proper assessment, not just rest and hope.
Junior tennis performance gear audit
Heel Pain (Sever's Disease)
Similar to Osgood-Schlatter but at the heel, Sever's disease affects the growth plate at the back of the heel bone. It's common in players training on hard courts during growth spurts. Tight calves compound the problem quickly. Regular calf stretching, heel cushioning, and appropriate load management can prevent this almost entirely.
Lower Back Pain
This one surprises some parents, but it's genuinely common. The tennis serve creates significant extension and rotation forces through the lumbar spine, and if a player's core isn't strong enough to support this, the back compensates. More seriously, I occasionally see stress fractures (spondylolysis) in young players — a crack in part of the vertebra caused by repeated hyperextension. This requires imaging to diagnose and is often missed because it presents as vague back pain that players tend to push through. Any junior with persistent back pain, especially worse with serving, needs to be properly assessed.
What Prevention Actually Looks Like
Monitor training load. Sudden spikes in volume are one of the biggest risk factors for overuse injuries. As a rough rule of thumb, I advise no more than a 20% increase in training volume week on week, a guideline I use regularly with the young athletes I work with.
Junior tennis physiology
Treat strength training as essential. Junior players who do regular S&C work are less likely to get injured and recover faster when they do. Consistency matters far more than complexity at this level.
Create space for players to speak up. Junior athletes often hide pain because they don't want to miss training or let people down. Making it normal and safe to flag discomfort early is one of the most valuable things a parent or coach can do.
Consider a physio screen before there's a problem. A movement and strength assessment can catch vulnerabilities before they become injuries. Think of it like a dental check-up, you don't wait until something hurts.
The players I see thriving long-term are supported by a team of parents, coaches and practitioners who communicate well and take early warning signs seriously. You don't need to wrap your child in cotton wool. You just need to pay attention, build good habits early, and know when to ask for help.
If your child is showing any of these signs, we offer physio screenings and assessments at fit8 in Wimbledon. To book or get in touch, email kuder@fit8.co.uk