What Every Tennis Player Over 50 Needs to Know to Play into Their 80s
| Ryan Vesce

What Every Tennis Player Over 50 Needs to Know to Play into Their 80s | Ryan Vesce

Author: Mike Rogers - Founder of Senior Tennis Unpacked August 18, 2026 Duration: 12:40

👉 Go Deeper with Coaches and Pros Who Actually Know Senior Tennis

https://www.skool.com/senior-tennis-unpacked-8081

 

Episode Description:

 

Most "play longer" advice starts backwards.

 

It tells you to stretch more or lift heavier. But Ryan Vesce — a former pro hockey player who now trains older athletes to stay competitive — says everything starts somewhere else: the nervous system.

 

"When you actually have it working as it should," Ryan explains, "your strength automatically goes up, your flexibility gets better, and your range of motion gets better immediately. It's not because you're doing anything magical — you're taking the guarding mechanism off the brain."

 

In this episode of Insider's Playbook, we unpack what players over 50 should be doing now to stay strong, quick, and competitive into their 70s and 80s.

 

Key takeaways:

  • Recovery should determine how much tennis your body can handle
  • Strength training 2–3x a week keeps you competitive as you age
  • Quickness and reaction speed must keep being trained — without the impact
  • Small warning signs become injuries when ignored (rotator cuff → elbow, "glutes off" → back and knee pain)
  • The at-home drill to fire your fast-twitch system again (broomstick + altitude drops)

 

Because as the saying goes: "when you stop jumping, you start dying."

 

 

Contact Ryan Vesce:

Website: www.MatterhornFit.com

  

⏱️ Chapters:

 

00:00  Coming Up - Show Intro

01:14  Training Quickness and Reaction Speed After 50

03:33  How Much Tennis and Strength Training?

05:46  Recovering After Matches and Tournaments

08:09  Don't Ignore the Early Warning Signs

09:00  3 Non-Negotiables for Tennis Longevity

10:15  How to Keep Playing for Years to Come

11:38  Show Wrap Up

#SeniorTennis #TennisOver50 #TennisFitness #TennisTraining #TennisLongevity #tennistips #tennistrategy #seniortennis #tennisfitness


For competitive tennis players over fifty, the game evolves. The desire to win remains sharp, but the path to victory requires a different map. Insider's Playbook: Smart Strategies for Competitive Senior Tennis Players Over 50 is that essential guide. Hosted by Mike Rogers, a seasoned senior tournament competitor and the founder of Senior Tennis Unpacked, this podcast digs into the nuanced realities of competing later in life. You won't find generic tips here. Instead, each conversation is a deep dive into the specific strategic adjustments, physical maintenance, and mental conditioning that give seasoned players a tangible edge. Mike brings on elite coaches who understand the senior athlete, national champions who are still dominating their age brackets, and performance experts focused on longevity. They unpack real, actionable strategies for everything from point construction and recovery to managing pressure during a tight third-set tiebreak. This is for players who analyze their matches, who know their strengths, and who are looking for that next piece of the puzzle to outsmart and outlast their opponents. Tune in to hear candid discussions that feel like a locker room talk with the most knowledgeable players and minds in senior tennis, all dedicated to helping you compete longer, smarter, and with more success.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Insider's Playbook:  Smart Strategies for Competitive Senior Tennis Players Over 50
Podcast Episodes
Return of Serve After 50: Five Fixes to Win More Games I Ryan Reidy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:31
👉 Go Deeper with Coaches and Pros Who Actually Know Senior Tennis https://www.skool.com/senior-tennis-unpacked-8081 For senior tennis players, the return of serve can become one of the most important shots in the game. B…
Why You Choke in Tennis Matches (And How to Stop It) | Jeff Greenwald [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:26
👉 Go Deeper with Coaches and Pros Who Actually Know Senior Tennis https://www.skool.com/senior-tennis-unpacked-8081What happens when you’re up 5-2, feeling good, and then suddenly tighten up? In this episode of Insider’s…
3 Pro Tennis Techniques Players Over 50 Should Steal I Ryan Reidy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:34
👉 Go Deeper with Coaches and Pros Who Actually Know Senior Tennis https://www.skool.com/senior-tennis-unpacked-8081 Watching the pros can make you want to copy everything they do. But which parts of modern tennis techniq…
You're Too Old to Change? The Myth Holding You Back I Eric Friedman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:12
👉 Be Match Ready as Soon as You're Get on the Court.https://www.skool.com/senior-tennis-unpacked-8081 Most senior tennis players believe they're too old to make major changes to their game — so they keep grinding the sam…