Tennis After Rotator Cuff Repair
Returning to the court means rebuilding a healed shoulder’s capacity—not just waiting for pain to disappear.
Protect the repair before training the stroke
A repaired tendon needs time to attach to bone and tolerate increasing load. Tear size, tissue quality, the tendons involved, additional procedures, and previous surgery can all change rehabilitation. Feeling comfortable with daily activities does not establish readiness for repeated overhead acceleration.
Milestones for the return conversation
- Motion that supports the planned stroke without a shrug or painful compensation.
- Progressive cuff and shoulder-blade strengthening completed within the prescribed program.
- Enough endurance to maintain control through a practice session.
- Surgeon and therapist agreement on when groundstrokes, volleys, and serves may begin.
From practice to match play
Ask for separate clearance for hitting and serving. Controlled groundstrokes may be introduced before overhead work in an individualized program; this is not a universal sequence. Early court sessions should have a defined duration and intensity, with time to assess the response before increasing the workload.
Do not accelerate the plan for a tournament. New weakness, increasing night pain, or a sudden loss of function should interrupt the progression and lead to reassessment.
What return-to-sport research means
A 2025 retrospective study of recreational racket-sport players reported that most returned after repair of an isolated full-thickness supraspinatus tear. That encouraging finding is not a guarantee for a massive tear, revision repair, or elite serving demands. Returning at any level and regaining the same competitive performance are different outcomes.
The useful question is not only “Can I play again?” but “Which version of tennis can my shoulder sustain comfortably and safely?”