KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Along the stadium at the Miami Open, a player is mid-stretch, seated on a large towel spread out on the concrete floor. She’s taking her time going through the motions as ball boys race around her, and other players get in their own stretches.
That player is Martina Hingis, and she’s in the unofficial warm-up area in Key Biscayne's Crandon Park. Unfazed by the lack of privacy, players—even world’s No. 1 doubles player—use the communal space to warm up and cool down before and after matches. Oftentimes they’re sharing these sorts of small spaces with the opponent they’ll face in a few minutes’ time.
A proper warm up is incredibly important. It prevents injuries, prepares your body for playing and gets your head in the game. Running through a routine of drills can help alleviate nerves before a big match. Ignore any desires to skip it at your own peril.
Minutes before walking onto court, Jelena Jankovic is using the stadium stairs for some explosive footwork drills. She’s holding a racquet at the top of the first flight, then lunges down the stairs using large strides before dropping into a groundstroke shadow stroke and exploding forward on the landing platform. Though the moves are riskier and tougher on stairs than on flat ground, she’s engaging her entire body in her extreme shadow strokes, something any player can do.
Later, Tomas Berdych appears in Key Biscayne’s warm-up commune. He slams a medicine ball repeatedly, raising it over his head and throwing it down. Using a medicine ball is a way to engage your entire body; you can also mimic groundstroke motions by rotating your core and upper body and throwing the medicine ball to a partner or at a wall. Watch Novak Djokovic get fancy with his med-ball exercises: