title: On-court endurance and performance testing in competitive male tennis players.
abstract: The aims of this study were (a) to establish a specific endurance test procedure for competitive tennis players, combining performance, physiological and technical parameters and (b) to determine the relationship between these parameters and their competitive levels. Thirty-eight competitive male tennis players (age, 18.2 ± 1.3 years; height, 180 ± 0.08 cm; body mass, 72.7 ± 8.6 kg; mean ± SD) performed a specific endurance field test. Performance (level achieved), physiological (heart rate, maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), and ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2), and technical parameters (technical effectiveness [TE]) were assessed. Bivariate and multivariate models for predicting performance level were developed. Technical effectiveness was 63.1 ± 9.1%, with 3 identified phases throughout the test (adaptation, maximum effectiveness, and steady decline). Low to moderate correlations were found between performance (final stage), physiological (VT1, VT2) and TE, and competitive performance (r = 0.35-0.61; p = 0.038-0.000). Technical effectiveness explained 37% of variability in competitive performance (r = 0.61; p = 0.001). Using TE combined with VT2 or predictability increased explaining approximately 55% (p < 0.05) of the variance in competitive performance. The present study showed the usefulness of a field test including physiological and performance elements in high-caliber tennis players, and VT2 values combined with TE were good predictors of tennis performance.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Physical Activity Sciences, University of Vic, Barcelona, Spain; 2Research Group on Sport Sciences, National Institute of Physical Education-Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Spain; and 3Department of Training and Exercise Science; Faculty of Sports Science, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baiget
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández-Fernández
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.forename: Lisímaco
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vallejo
authors.forename: Ferran A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D013715:Tennis / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult