After some amazing matches at the U.S. Open, and for all those hardcore tennis lovers, here are some tips for keeping your serve and backhand strong as we move our tennis game from the warm outdoors to the great indoor courts …

The tennis serve is a sustained overhead movement, which requires a lot of core strength and rotator cuff strength to keep it powerful. Along with sheer strength, you also want to develop endurance in the rotator cuff.

Rotator cuff exercises, such as the full can and empty can, are great ways to build both strength and endurance. Here are some other web sites and video links to get you started in bringing your rotator cuff muscles up to peak performance.

For developing strength in the core you want do external rotation exercises such as the woodchop with cable and windshield wiper exercises. Pilates and yoga are excellent exercise regimes to develop core strength.

The backhand motion requires oblique strength, particularly the internal and external obliques. Pilates and yoga moves can also strengthen the obliques. In particular, the Pilates bicycle move and yoga side plank are good exercises for building power in the obliques.

Once you practice these exercises on a regular basis, you will be amazed how they can improve your performance and your game. You’ll be ready for your own version of the Open!