Diary of a tennis pro’s journey: “I thought doing some arm circles would cut it! It didn’t”

It’s easy to get sloppy with rehab, treatment, warm-ups, and recovery when you’re on the journey of a tennis pro —especially after intense training or a long match when all you want is to head home or relax.

In this series of ‘behind the scenes’ blogs, we’ve enlisted our own touring WTA tennis pro, Kelley Keller, to reveal the ups, downs, challenges and triumphs of her journey as a professional tennis player. Kelly will be sending us weekly updates on everything she encounters as she works her way up the WTA rankings in her quest to become one of the best tennis players in the world (and have some fun along the way).

Things like band work, foam rolling, stretching, and proper warm-ups are often the first to go when you’re tired, and that’s where laziness creeps in. But in reality, these are some of the most important parts of your day.

In college, you’re held accountable—coaches and trainers ensure you stretch before matches and practice, rehab injuries, and follow recovery protocols. But once you hit the lower levels of the tour, it’s all on you. Without a coach, trainer, or physio traveling with you (this doesn’t happen until you are ranked high and can afford it), there’s no one reminding you to do these things. And unlike top pros who have access to recovery equipment and facilities, you’re often on your own, needing to bring your own gear or rely on whatever the hotel gym provides.

I was sloppy about this. Both in college and on tour, I thought jogging a few laps and doing some arm circles would cut it. It didn’t. I was stubborn and didn’t communicate, and as a result, I tore my labrum. My “power through” mentality led to shoulder surgery, followed by four months off from tennis and six from competition, which left me far behind my competitors.

When you have to sit out, you lose ranking points, just as top pros do. It works the same. If you get points by winning main draw matches at an event, you have points to defend at the same event the next year. If you don’t play, you lose those points and your ranking goes down, sometimes drastically. Ideally, you don’t always play the same events because you have qualified for higher level ones the next year to balance out the point loss, but this is not always the case.

At the higher levels, you have access to recovery tools like recovery boots, massage balls, and cold therapy. If you can access this, take advantage of it. It really does help, even if part of it is mentally. If you are in a grueling match and remember you did all the recovery you could the day before, you could convince yourself that your body can handle it because of the extra recovery work you did. It is all about what helps you.

Now, after experiencing a ranking hit from missing six months of tournaments, I’ve learned my lesson. Injuries aren’t always avoidable, but missing warm-ups, rehab appointments, or post-match recovery sessions is a choice, and it is one I won’t make again. Pros at every level should take these steps seriously to avoid preventable setbacks. It’s not just about staying fit; it’s about staying in the game.

Kelly Keller is a recent graduate from Arkansas University where she played on the tennis team for 5 years and is now giving it her best in the toughest environment of all, the WTA Tour.

Follow Kelly’s results on her WTA profile

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