SMART PLANNING FOR COACHES AND PLAYERS
TennisBPM | Coach Ran
In almost three decades of working with juniors, professionals, federations and national teams, I have noticed that the junior calendar gets built by almost everyone except the player’s body. The tournament list, ranking points, school term, family holidays and academy schedule all get a say. Rest rarely does.
Then something hurts in the third or fourth month of a busy calendar , and everyone asks what went wrong in training. Usually, nothing did. There was simply no gap in the plan for the body to catch up.
Even the top of the game is arguing about this now. Carlos Alcaraz has warned that the packed schedule is fueling injuries and said he plans to take longer breaks [7]. Earlier this month the WTA published its 2027 calendar. Top-50 players will have to play four WTA 500 events instead of six, and they can swap one WTA 1000 result for a stronger 500 or 250 result. The changes came from a council chaired by Jessica Pegula and will run as a one-year pilot [8, 9]. The ATP made a similar cut in January, from five mandatory 500-level events to four for its top 30 [9]. If the tours are reducing commitments for professionals, a 14-year-old with a ranking-points spreadsheet and a school timetable needs a plan even more. This article is my practical guide to building one.
Key takeaways for coaches and parents
- Schedule rest first. Mark at least four weeks of complete rest in the year before you add tournaments [4].
- A week without a tournament is not a rest week. In players aged 12 to 18, training periods carried higher loads than competition [1].
- Count school stress as load. Psychological stress is linked with injury risk [10], so avoid stacking exam weeks on top of tournament clusters.
- Watch the growth spurt. Growth-related injuries peak during the adolescent growth spurt [11].
- Rest means off structured tennis, not off life. Free play, other sports and sleep are part of the plan [3].
Why juniors have a calendar problem
Five patterns keep repeating in what I see:
- No true off-season. Tournaments run all year across countries and surfaces, so there is never a natural break.
- Ranking-point anxiety. Every missed event feels like lost ground, so rest looks like a penalty instead of an investment.
- School and exams. Weeks that look free on the tennis calendar are often the heaviest weeks mentally.
- Growth spurts. Bodies change fastest at the age when schedules get heavier.
- Nobody owns the total. Coaches, parents, academies and federations each plan their own slice, and nobody adds up the cumulative load of the upcoming players.
What the evidence says. About one in eight elite junior tennis players has a health problem in any given week, covering overuse injury, illness and acute injury, and in a separate study 41% of these young athletes reported an injury within a year [1]. The IOC expert group on load, which I covered in my post-tournament recovery article, includes congested calendars, psychological stress and travel in the load that raises injury risk [2]. The pro tour offers about 30 weeks of competition and roughly 20 weeks for training and recovery [1]. Juniors have less control over their calendars, and in my experience even less protected recovery time.
School stress counts as load
What the evidence says. A meta-analysis of 48 studies found that stress responses (r = 0.27) and a history of stressors (r = 0.13) had the strongest associations with injury rates in athletes. All seven prevention studies in the analysis, which used psychologically based programmes, showed lower injury rates in the treatment groups [10]. The IOC load statement also lists psychological stress as part of total load [2]. The AAP report adds that when training load exceeds recovery for long periods, overtraining can disturb the endocrine, neurologic, cardiovascular and psychological systems [3].
What I could not find is a study showing that an exam week and a tournament week add up in the body in a measurable way. The idea that both draw on the same recovery reserves is a reasonable coaching hypothesis, not a proven mechanism. The practical rule still holds: do not stack the two.
What to do:
- Put exam periods on the same calendar as tournaments.
- Avoid starting a tournament cluster in or right after exam weeks.
- Ask about sleep, mood and appetite in exam weeks, the same way you would after a hard tournament.
- Treat a heavy school week like a competition week when you plan the load.
What the guidelines say about rest
Three sources give a useful frame. They answer slightly different questions, so the numbers do not match, and that is fine.
| Source | What it recommends |
|---|---|
| American Academy of Pediatrics | At least 1 to 2 days off per week from the sport, and 2 to 3 months off per year from any one sport. The months do not have to be consecutive, and “off” means off the sport, not off all activity [3] |
| LTA performance pathway standards (U9 to U14) | One rest day a week plus another 24-hour rest period within the week, and four weeks of complete rest a year [4] |
| ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review | Training blocks between clusters of tournaments, giving about 20 weeks (almost 40% of tennis time) for specific work, and at least one 6-week block for more intensive S&C in transitioning players. The WTA is known to recommend minimising stretches of more than 3 consecutive competition weeks [5] |
My practical advise : the AAP number is about the sport as a whole, the LTA number is the tennis-specific minimum, and the ITF note is about fitting development into a busy year. Together they send one message. Rest is planned in advance, at three levels: the week, the cluster of events and the year.
A rest week is not a training week
This is the mistake most calendars make. They have two kinds of weeks, tournament and non-tournament, and the non-tournament week quietly turns into a high-volume training week.
What the evidence says. In players aged 12 to 18, loads tended to be higher in focused training periods than in competition, because weekly training volume was higher [1]. A week without a tournament can be harder on the body than a week with one.
Rest also needs a plan, not just a gap. A study of eight top collegiate men found that a 5-week, structured but unsupervised break led to significant drops in sprint power and aerobic capacity, which the authors put down to poor compliance with the prescribed training [6]. It was a small study of adults, so I treat it as a warning, not a rule. The lesson I take from it is to plan the break and the return, not just stop.
So I separate four types of block:
- Compete block. A cluster of tournaments.
- Reset week. The 7 days after a cluster: recovery, health checks and a gradual return in volume. See my 7-day post-tournament reset.
- Develop block. Several weeks with no events, used for technique, tactics and S&C. It is training, not rest. For S&C priorities, see my article on core training and the serve.
- Rest block. Time away from structured tennis, with free play, other sports, sleep and family time.
How I plan the year, step by step with tecnical coaches and players
The steps and the sample year below come from my coaching practice, built on the guidelines above.
- Put the rest in first. Mark the rest blocks before any events. Aim for at least four weeks of complete rest in the year [4], split into two or three blocks. The AAP’s 2 to 3 months off the sport [3] is the upper end, and other sports and free play can fill that time.
- Mark school exams and travel. Treat a heavy school week like a competition week [10]. Exam periods are poor times for a tournament cluster. This varies with full time players with online study.
- Choose A, B and C events. A events get full preparation and a taper. B events are developmental match play without a taper. C events are optional, and are dropped if fatigue or soreness shows up.
- Cluster events and cap the run. Keep consecutive competition weeks few. The WTA guideline is to avoid more than 3 in a row where possible [5], and I keep clusters shorter for younger juniors then again it varies if fulltime players.
- Follow every cluster with a reset week. No exceptions. Do not move straight from one cluster to the next.
- Fit a develop block between clusters. Plan at least one 6-week block a year for more intensive S&C [5], and shorter ones when the calendar allows.
- Review every six weeks. Height, sleep, mood, soreness and serve counts. Change the plan, not just the player. My article on training load for tennis players shows how to track it.
Sample year by age group- Non FULL TIME PLAYERS WITH DEDICATED COACHING TEAM
| Age | Max consecutive competition weeks | Develop blocks | Rest blocks | Weekly rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U14 | 1 to 2 | 2 to 3 shorter blocks, with multi-sport weeks | 4 weeks of complete rest, in 2 blocks | 1 full day off plus another 24-hour rest period [3, 4] |
| U16 | 2 | At least one 6-week block, with lighter volume in growth spurts | 4 weeks of complete rest, in 2 to 3 blocks | Same [3, 4] |
| U18 | 3 | At least one 6-week block, more if the calendar allows | 4 weeks of complete rest, in 2 blocks | Same [3, 4] |
The LTA standards cover U9 to U14 [4], so for U16 and U18 I extend them using the AAP’s weekly guidance [3]. Always consider chronological age, biological age and training age together. My article on LTAD for tennis players covers the long-term picture.
U14: protect variety
What I see: Year-round tennis and a growing tournament list at an age when general athleticism should still be the main project.
What the evidence says. The AAP report lists single-sport participation among the risk factors for overuse injury [3].
What to do:
- Keep clusters short and build multi-sport or free-play weeks into the year.
- Use rest blocks to rebuild the love of the game, not to catch up on drills or school.
U16: protect the growth spurt
What I see: Fatigue, clumsiness and aches arriving together when growth speeds up and the calendar fills.
What the evidence says. A scoping review of 30 studies in elite youth athletes found that growth-related injuries peaked during the adolescent growth spurt, and that faster growth in height and in the lower limbs was linked to more injuries [11]. A recent review on monitoring young tennis players also highlights peak height velocity and overuse conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter disease [1]. The scoping review notes that evidence in girls and in a wider range of sports is limited [11].
What to do:
- Track standing height every 4 to 8 weeks. When growth accelerates, cut volume, not just intensity, and keep the strength work going.
- Ask about new knee, heel or other pain, and do not let it run on for weeks.
- Place the develop block away from exam periods.
U18: protect the transition
What I see: ITF and national events stacked together, with travel and ranking pressure on top.
What to do:
- Plan the calendar in blocks: tournament cluster, reset week, development block. Do not chain events without a plan.
- Keep two short strength sessions a week during clusters, and use the develop block for heavier work.
- Agree in advance which C events will be dropped if the player is in the red.
What a real rest block looks like
This is my coaching practice. Seven to fourteen days works for most juniors.
- Start passive. For the first 24 to 48 hours after a tournament cluster: sleep, switch off and keep movement very light.
- Then go active and unstructured. Swimming, cycling, hiking, football with friends, anything the player enjoys. The AAP’s “time off” means time off the sport, not total inactivity [3].
- No structured tennis and no scheduled S&C. Rackets stay in the bag.
- Sleep first. Teenagers need roughly 8 to 10 hours a night [1]. See my article on sleep for tennis players.
- Eat normally. A rest block is a recovery window, not a time to cut food. Low energy availability is a health risk in its own right [12].
- Light check-in. A simple log of sleep, mood, soreness and weight trend, so the return can be planned.
- Plan the return. Rebuild court volume over 5 to 7 days using the reset steps in my recovery article, instead of jumping back to full volume.
Travel adds another layer. My article on travelling tennis players explains how to keep sleep and food stable on the road.
Signs the calendar is winning
What the evidence says. The AAP report describes overtraining as lower performance with a higher risk of injury and illness, and burnout as physical or mental exhaustion with a reduced sense of accomplishment that leads a young athlete to devalue the sport [3]. Dr Joel Brenner, a co-author of the report, has named disturbed sleep, mood changes, low motivation and pain that persists or worsens over a few days as red flags [13].
In girls and women, missed or irregular periods and repeated bone stress pain need a doctor or sports dietitian, not a coaching fix. The IOC consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) covers female and male athletes, lists loss of periods, weakened bones and susceptibility to stress fractures among the effects of low energy availability, and notes overlapping symptoms between REDs and overtraining syndrome [12].
What I watch for in tennis (my coaching practice):
- A drop in serve speed, a changed serve action, or a loss of first-step quickness
- Repeated illness, or slow recovery between events
- Dreading tournaments, or hiding pain from the coach or parents
Any of these means the next block should be a reset or a rest block, not another cluster.
For parents and coaches
- Treat the calendar as a plan, not a wish list. More tournaments do not equal more development.
- Put rest in the diary first. If it is not scheduled, it will not happen.
- Reward honesty. Players hide fatigue and pain when they fear losing a spot or ranking points.
- Use one shared plan. Coach, parents, S&C coach and physio should look at the same calendar.
The limits
There is very little tennis-specific research on how long a junior’s rest block should be, so the numbers above borrow from paediatric sports medicine and federation standards [3, 4, 5]. The AAP guidance covers all youth sport, not tennis alone [3]. The collegiate break study had eight male players [6]. The stress and injury meta-analysis covers athletes of different ages and sports, not tennis juniors specifically [10]. The growth and injury review found large differences between studies and called for more research in girls [11]. The monitoring paper is a perspective article, not a trial [1]. The WTA and ATP changes apply to professionals, and the WTA’s are a one-year pilot [8, 9]. Calendars also differ between countries, so individualise every plan for the player’s age, sex, growth stage, school load and injury history.
FInal NOTE
Rest is not what is left over at the end of a busy schedule. It is the foundation that lets training turn into performance.
Plan the year around reset weeks, development blocks and complete rest blocks. Count school stress as load, and watch growth. Then fit the tournaments around all of that. That is how we build players who are healthy at 14, strong at 18 and still competing for years afterwards.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Players with pain, injury or health concerns should consult a qualified doctor or physiotherapist.
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References
- Michel M-F, Girard O, Guillard V, Brechbuhl C. Well-being as a performance pillar: a holistic approach for monitoring tennis players. Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1259821. doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1259821
- Soligard T, Schwellnus M, Alonso JM, et al. How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(17):1030-1041. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096581
- Brenner JS, Watson A; Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in young athletes. Pediatrics. 2024;153(2):e2023065129. doi:10.1542/peds.2023-065129
- Lawn Tennis Association. LTA Performance Player Pathway programme standards: 9U-10U and 11U-12U-14U. lta.org.uk
- Reid M, Quinlan G, Morris C. Periodisation in tennis. ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review. 2010;18(50):38-40. doi:10.52383/itfcoaching.v18i50.629
- Kovacs MS, Pritchett R, Wickwire PJ, Green JM, Bishop P. Physical performance changes after unsupervised training during the autumn/spring semester break in competitive tennis players. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41(11):705-710. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2007.035436
- Alcaraz plans more breaks, warns packed schedule fuelling injuries. Khaleej Times. khaleejtimes.com
- WTA announces changes intended to ease burden of busy calendar and push equal prize money. Tennis Now. tennisnow.com
- WTA reduces 2027 schedule for world’s top 50. AFP, via The Express Tribune. tribune.com.pk
- Ivarsson A, Johnson U, Andersen MB, et al. Psychosocial factors and sport injuries: meta-analyses for prediction and prevention. Sports Med. 2017;47(2):353-365.
- Parry G, Williams S, McKay C, et al. Associations between growth, maturation and injury in youth athletes engaged in elite pathways: a scoping review. Br J Sports Med. 2024;58(17):1001.
- Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073-1097. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994
- AAP report by local doctor recommends change in youth sports culture (interview with Dr Joel Brenner). WAVY-TV 10. wavy.com