Recovery Is Training: Philipp von Holtzendorff-Fehling on Rethinking Senior Tennis
Sep 10, 2025
In competitive tennis, players are conditioned to measure progress by hours of drills, miles of running, or the number of serves hit before sunset. For athletes over 50, though, the formula changes. Training harder often leads to injury, burnout, or an early exit from the game. The real key to longevity? According to the 2024 USTA men’s 50s No. 1 Philipp von Holtzendorff-Fehling, it seems that recovery itself is a form of training.
Photo courtesy of:
Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
Rethinking the Athlete’s Playbook
For decades, the dominant culture in sport equated success with volume: the player who hit the most balls, lifted the heaviest weights, or spent the longest on the treadmill was seen as the one most likely to win. But senior athletes, Philipp argues, have a different equation to solve.
“The body at 50 doesn’t respond the way it did at 20,” he explains. “You can push as hard as you like, but the returns diminish and the risks increase. The smarter path is to treat recovery with the same seriousness as you treat your forehand or serve.”
Rather than measuring success by hours on the court, Philipp builds his schedule around cycles of effort and restoration. He considers downtime as active preparation for the next match.
Photo courtesy of:
Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
The Science of Recovery in Senior Tennis
The physiology supports his approach. As athletes age, muscle repair slows, connective tissues lose elasticity, and hormones linked to recovery decline. A heavy training block without adequate recovery can set back progress for weeks.
Philipp points out that recovery isn’t just about preventing injury, it’s about unlocking performance. “When your body is fully recovered, your reactions are sharper, your focus is stronger, and your strokes are cleaner. That’s when you play your best tennis.”
This perspective shifts recovery from being an afterthought to being the foundation of an athlete’s performance plan.
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
A Day Built Around Balance
Philipp’s own regimen illustrates how recovery becomes integrated into everyday life.
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Morning reset: He starts with yoga and breathwork, using conscious breathing to clear mental clutter and prepare for focused practice.
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Court time: Tennis sessions are purposeful, not endless. Drills are designed with intention, followed by structured cool-downs.
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Recovery toolkit: After exertion, he cycles between practices like stretching, infrared sauna, and vibration therapy. He also leans heavily on frequency-based technologies developed by his companies, Leela Quantum Tech and Quantum Upgrade. For instance, tools like the Heal 360 capsule, designed to optimize cellular energy, reduce the effects of EMFs, and accelerate physical recovery, have been key in helping him stay competitive at the highest level.
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Sleep and rhythm: Perhaps most importantly, he treats sleep as non-negotiable training time. Without it, no recovery protocol can fully work.
This isn’t a rigid system but rather a rhythm that adapts to tournament schedules and travel. “Consistency matters more than perfection,” he says. “I’d rather get eight solid habits right most of the time than chase an unsustainable routine.”
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
Why Recovery Matters More After 50
In younger years, players often bounce back from heavy sessions with little thought. For senior athletes, the body requires more deliberate care. Neglect recovery, and the consequences show up quickly: lingering soreness, slower reaction times, and susceptibility to injury.
Philipp reframes this as an opportunity. By giving equal attention to recovery, older players can actually outperform younger opponents in areas like focus, strategy, and endurance. “Recovery doesn’t just help you avoid setbacks, it gives you the clarity to stay present during matches,” he notes.
This approach aligns with a broader shift in sports science that recognizes recovery as a competitive advantage, not just maintenance. Professional athletes across disciplines now dedicate as much effort to sleep and therapy as they do to conditioning. Philipp is demonstrating how this applies directly to the senior tennis circuit.
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
The Mental Dimension
Recovery isn’t only physical. Tennis, perhaps more than any other sport, demands sustained concentration under pressure. For Philipp, practices like meditation and mindfulness double as both recovery and performance enhancers.
“Your nervous system is constantly being taxed by long rallies, by travel, by stress. Mental recovery is just as important as stretching or massage,” he says. Techniques such as breathwork help calm the mind between points and reset after a difficult game, allowing him to approach the next point with focus rather than frustration.
This mental recovery directly feeds into his philosophy of balance: a calm mind and a restored body together create the optimal conditions for peak performance.
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
A Model for Senior Athletes
Philipp’s rise to the top of the 50s rankings is impressive, but what makes it inspiring is how replicable his lessons are. You don’t need elite resources or specialized technology to apply his principles. What matters is mindset: seeing recovery not as downtime, but as deliberate training.
By treating the recovery process with respect, he’s managed to extend not only his playing career but also his enjoyment of the sport. “The goal isn’t just to keep competing,” he emphasizes. “It’s to play with energy, joy, and resilience year after year.”
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
Lessons for Other Senior Players
Philipp’s approach can be distilled into practical takeaways for any player looking to keep their game strong beyond 50:
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Consistency over intensity. Regular, moderate training combined with steady recovery beats sporadic bursts of overexertion.
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Prioritize sleep. Quality rest is the most powerful recovery tool available, and it costs nothing.
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Build recovery rituals. Stretching, mobility work, and cooling down should be non-negotiable after every session.
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Train the mind. Techniques like breathwork or meditation improve focus and reduce stress—key assets in tie-breaks and long matches.
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Listen to your body. Pain and fatigue aren’t badges of honor; they’re signals to adjust and recover.
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
Beyond Tennis
While Philipp’s story unfolds on the tennis court, its message resonates far beyond sport. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone navigating the pressures of modern life face the same dilemma: relentless effort without sufficient recovery leads to burnout. The discipline of recovery applies just as much in boardrooms as it does on baseline rallies.
That’s why his companies, Leela Quantum Tech and Quantum Upgrade, are gaining attention beyond athletics. Their technologies, originally designed to counter EMFs and optimize biofield health, are being adopted by people seeking resilience in both physical and mental performance.
Philipp von Holtzendorff-Fehling’s philosophy is more than personal; it’s part of a larger cultural shift redefining what it means to perform at a high level later in life.
Photo courtesy of: Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.
“Tennis has always been about more than winning,” he reflects. “It’s about growth, resilience, and discovering new ways to challenge yourself. At 50, I’ve learned that the smartest way to train is also the most sustainable: treat recovery as training, and you’ll not only extend your career, you’ll enjoy the game more than ever.”
This November, Philipp will share his insights at the Biohackers World Conference at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Miami. For anyone looking to extend their peak, whether in sport, business, or daily living, it’s an opportunity to hear directly from someone who has lived the transformation.
Because sometimes the secret to going further isn’t pushing harder. It’s learning when to stop. For 30% off the Biohackers World Conference, use code FLORIDATENNIS30.
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Written by Philipp von Holtzendorff-Fehling. Top photo courtesy of Joey Chase Photography (https://www.joeychasephoto.com/) via Philipp Samor von Holtzendorff-Fehling.