Episode 332

Growth, Maturation and Athletic Development in Tennis

August 10th, 2026

26 mins

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dukes meadows tennis academy joshua dragone richard graves injury prevention change of direction speed development long-term athlete development growth and maturation fuelling for performance hydration sports nutrition sleep and performance athlete recovery tennis recovery tennis fitness tennis training strength and conditioning sports science tennis coaching youth athlete development junior tennis athletic development tennis s&c tennis strength and conditioning tennis performance tennis

About this Episode

Tennis players need far more than clean technique and a strong forehand. They need to be fast, powerful, durable and able to recover well enough to perform across an unpredictable, year-round competitive schedule.

This week, Richard Graves is joined by Joshua Dragone, Head of Athletic Development at Dukes Meadows Tennis Academy, to explore what effective physical development looks like in tennis.

Joshua explains why tennis S&C demands a different approach: players may be travelling, competing, dealing with limited gym access or adjusting plans after every match. He shares how he identifies the key physical qualities to target, creates structure without becoming rigid, and helps young players build the recovery, hydration and fuelling habits that support long-term development.

The conversation also looks at maturation, the influence of social media on junior training, and why parents, tennis coaches and athletic development coaches need to be aligned around the individual athlete.

In this episode you will learn

  • Why tennis requires athletes to develop speed, power, change of direction, robustness and energy-system capacity at the same time.
  • How to plan physical preparation around an unpredictable tournament schedule.
  • How to identify the one or two physical priorities that matter most for an individual player.
  • Why growth and maturation should shape expectations and programming in junior tennis.
  • How to use training windows effectively when players are travelling and competing.
  • The role of sleep, hydration and fuelling in availability, recovery and performance.
  • Why junior tennis players are often under-fuelled — and how practitioners and parents can help.
  • How consistent warm-up and recovery routines reduce friction on competition days.
  • How to respond constructively when players want to copy professional athletes’ social-media training.
  • Why alignment between player, parent, tennis coach and S&C coach is essential.

About Joshua Dragone

Joshua Dragone is the Head of Athletic Development at Dukes Meadows Tennis Academy in West London. He joined the academy in 2021 as a Senior Athletic Development Coach and moved into his current role in 2022. With more than a decade of coaching experience across sports including rugby, football and tennis, Joshua now specialises in helping junior tennis players become faster, stronger and more robust through developmentally appropriate, athlete-centred programming.

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