Ball Impact Position in Recreational Male Padel Players: Implications for Training and Injury Management

Racket sports such as padel are characterized by the repetition of unilateral gestures, which can lead to negative adaptations like asymmetries or overuse musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in ball impact positions (i.e., forward or backward of the center of gravity) in nine stroke types in a sample of forty-eight recreational male padel players. The sample included 14,478 shots corresponding to 18 matches from six tournaments. Forty-eight male padel players were classified into two groups according to their level: trained (n = 24) and novice (n = 24). Type of stroke and ball impact position were registered using a computerized motion tracki…

Exploring offensive players’ collective movements and positioning dynamics in high-performance padel matches using tracking technology

Racket sports such as padel are characterised by a variety of specific displacements and behaviours on the court with the aim to cover spaces and take an offensive advantage during the point. The a...

Challenging serve myths in doubles tennis

Doubles tennis has received little interest from quantitative research to date. Coach-led anecdotes therefore abound. The aims of this study were therefore to evaluate the veracity of the following common anecdotes: (a) serving teams have an advantage regardless of the length of the point; (b) serving teams have a greater advantage with new balls; (c) regular teams perform better when serving than new teams and (d) serving teams decrease their performance during break points. Data from doubles hard-court and clay-court tennis were collated for 52 doubles teams during 2018 ATP tournaments. Results revealed that the advantage of serving teams was evident on the points lasting up to 4 shots. …

Design and validation of a tennis tool to control on-court technical and tactical training content

In high performance tennis, different aspects like physical-conditioning, strategy-tactic, technical-biomechanical, psychology and skills acquisition have received large attention from the researchers. Nevertheless, the programming, periodization and planning of training sessions and competitions have not been as studied in depth. Coaches still use their experience, trial-error and subjective perceptions as methods of conducting these fundamental tasks. This article presents the design and validation of an instrument to control the technical and tactical training content on-court. The instrument was conceived by 9 experts and validated by 23 experienced coaches, who used on-court tennis ex…

Key Physical Factors in the Serve Velocity of Male Professional Wheelchair Tennis Players

The aim of this study was to identify the physical factors related to serve speed in male professional wheelchair tennis players (WT). Nine best nationally-ranked Spanish male wheelchair tennis players (38.35 ± 11.28 years, 63.77 ± 7.01 kg.) completed a neuromuscular test battery consisting of: isometric handgrip strength

Comparison of the activity profile during Grand Slam women’s doubles tennis

Fitness testing in tennis: Influence of anthropometric characteristics, physical performance, and functional test on serve velocity in professional players

The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between anthropometric variables, physical performance, and functional test with serve velocity regarding tennis players’ level and to design regression models that effectively predict serve velocity. A sample of sixteen male tennis players participated in this study (national level = 8, professional level = 7). Anthropometric measurements (body mass, height, body mass index and body segments) and physical test (hand strength, countermovement jump, jump on serve, and serve velocity) and functional test (medicine ball throw overhead and shot put) were performed. No differences in anthropometrics and physical test were found between nati…

Characteristics of the return in professional women’s tennis on clay courts

The number of studies related to notational analysis of the serve has grown in recent years, and this latest research has suggested that: players win more with the serve at younger age groups; with males, there is more variation in direction and more points are won on the forehand than the backhand return; and, women return closer to the net with a flatter trajectory than male counterparts. Despite advances in research there is still little on female tennis, especially on clay courts. In this study, 795 points of female matches at the BBVA Open Valencia 2017 ITF event were analysed. On the first serve, on the left, players use mainly backhands and hit crosscourt, whereas on the right, there…

Analysis of the differences in serve effectiveness between Billie Jean King Cup (former Fed Cup) and Davis Cup doubles tennis matches

The doubles game has considerable relevance in professional tennis, especially in team competitions such as the Billie Jean King Cup (former Fed Cup) (BJKC) and the Davis Cup (DC). However, there are very few studies that have carried out quantitative notational analysis to provide information on the specific features of this tennis modality. The goal of this study was to analyse the differences in serve direction and effectiveness of male and female teams in matches played at BJKC and DC ties. A total of 29,207 serves; 7,578 of BJKC and 21,628 of DC matches were analysed. The data was obtained through the Hawk-Eye system. The results showed that with the first serve, both BJKC and DC team…

Verbal coping of coaches in competition: Differences depending on emotional intelligence and self-determined motivation

In this study we analysed the differences in verbal behaviour of coaches during matches. A total of 9739 verbal behaviours issued by 26 male handball coaches in 26 matches, 1 for each coach, were classified into the categories established by the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS). These behaviours in turn were grouped according to the type of coping expressed by the coach (task-oriented, emotional positive and emotional negative). Coaches were then classified into high or low emotional intelligence, and high or low self-determined motivation, using the mean of these scores. Differences in verbal behaviour percentages were analysed by Chi-square based on coach membership in group…

COVID-19 Prevention Measures Implemented by Tennis Coaches: The Role of Continent, Experience, and Type of Facility

The prevention strategies used by tennis coaches when delivering tennis lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed in this study. An ad hoc questionnaire collected data from 655 Spanish and Portuguese speaking tennis coaches working in Latin America and Europe. Differences in the prevention measures were analyzed according to the continent, the coaches’ experience, and the type of facility they worked in. Results showed that coaches used information provided from local and national organizations more than from international ones. Hand hygiene, communication of preventive strategies, and changes in the coaching methodology were the most used prevention measures. Latin American coache…

The influence of non-verbal body language on sport performance in professional tennis

The main objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between players´ non-verbal body language and their performance in sport. The sample consists of a total of 477 actions from 40 players competing in the ATP Tour. All actions were taken from tie-breaks in official tournaments. The categories that were analyzed were previous performance, dominant non-verbal body language, submissive non-verbal body language, and performance later on. Results show how the players´ non verbal body language impacts on their performance later on.  Thus, we can conclude that following dominant non-verbal body language, the probabilities of better performance in the next point are greater than follow…

Comparison of service tactic formation on players’ movements and point outcome between national and beginner level padel

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of service tactic formation on players’ movements and point outcome at two different performance levels. The sample contained 2,148 points corresponding to 18 matches from two male padel indoor tournaments. Players were classified according to their game level: high-level (N = 36; age = 33.3 ± 6.9 years) and beginner (N = 36; age = 35.4 ± 6.8 years). Variables pertaining to service tactic formation (conventional or Australian), point outcome and movement patterns were analysed from the matches through systematic observation. The results showed how high-level players used a significantly higher percentage of the Australian formation than beg…

The relationship between the incidence of winners/errors and the time spent in different areas of the court in elite tennis

Martinez-Gallego R, Guzman JF, James N, Ramon-Llin J, Crespo M, Vuckovic G. The relationship between the incidence of winners/errors and the time spent in different areas of the court in elite tennis. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 8, No. Proc3, pp. S601-S607, 2013. Winners and errors have been two of the most studied performance indicators in tennis, contributing to the prediction of match outcome and definition of the playing style of the players. Furthermore, the position occupied by the player on the court has also been shown to be a good indicator of both the final result and style of play. The aim of this study was to examine whether there were differences between game winners and losers i…

The Effect of the Return of Serve on the Server Pair’s Movement Parameters and Rally Outcome in Padel Using Cluster Analysis

Purpose: The pressure exerted on racket sports players by the service has been well documented. Whilst the return of serve has been suggested through qualitative interviews as being of similar importance there is a dearth of quantitative data to support this contention. This study analyzed time, speed, and distance parameters related to the outcome of the return of serve (ROS) in Padel, a sport similar to tennis but played on a court bounded by walls and played in doubles format only. Methods: Matches (n = 18) at two tournaments, sanctioned by the Valencian Federation, in 2012 were recorded and processed using Tracker software. ROS shot type (flat or lob), ball location, players’ positions …

Practical proposal for the development of the rhythm with tennis players in training

The importance of training coordination for the development of young players is a well-established area of research. However, rhythm, despite having a crucial importance in tennis, is one of the coordinative capacities less studied and therefore, it is difficult for coaches to obtain information that could allow them to design coaching sessions that focus on these capacities. This article highlights the importance of rhythm in tennis, and also presents series of general exercises (without the use of a specific tennis equipment), special exercises (with the use of specific tennis equipment) and specific exercises (in game situations) aimed at the training of these coordinative capacities.

A Cluster Analysis Approach to Profile Men and Women’s Volley Positions in Professional Tennis Matches (Doubles)

(1) Background: Tennis ball tracking technology allows the aquirement of novel and reliable data about several performance indicators, such as volley positions. This information is key to understand match dynamics in doubles tennis and to better help preparing players for the demands they will face in match play. As such, the purpose of this study was to describe and compare the different types of volley positions in men’s and women’s doubles professional tennis. (2) Methods: Ball tracking data were collected for 46 women (Billie Jean King Cup) and 96 men’s doubles matches (Davis Cup). The variables used were the distance to the net, the distance to the centre of the court and the height of…

Technical, tactical and movement analysis of men's professional tennis on hard courts.

Background There is very little information in tennis relating performance to both the movement of the players and the effectiveness of their shots. This study aimed to identify differences between winners and losers in the volume and intensity of their movements, as well as in the effectiveness of their shots. Methods Matches (N.=8) at the 2011 ATP 500 tournament in Valencia (Spain) were recorded and analyzed using SAGIT, a computerized vision-tracking system. Data were split into points for movement analysis, and into games for stroke analysis. Results Players winning points used more offensive strategies and spent more time in the offensive zone than point losers. They also forced point …

Time structure in men’s professional doubles tennis: does team experience allow finishing the points faster?

This article provides information on the time structure of the doubles game in tennis and studies the influence of team experience on this time structure. The sample consisted of 2339 points corres...

Men's doubles professional tennis on hard courts: Game structure and point ending characteristics

Despite the great tradition and importance of the doubles game in professional tennis, no literature has analysed to date the performance of professional players. Therefore, the information on the characteristics of the game, or the tactics related to how the points are won in doubles play is scarce. The objective of this study has been to describe the basic characteristics of the structure of the doubles game, and to establish how the points finish in doubles professional tennis played on hard courts. Thirty-four ATP doubles matches played in 2018 were analysed, which included a total of 40 professional players. As per the game structure, the results showed that, in comparison to the singl…

The development of perception in tennis

This article provides coaches with a background to the concept of perception, defining it and linking it to the different components involved in certain specific motor tasks. The article then discusses theories that provide a framework to develop this aspect. Finally, it provides a practical set of specific exercises tennis players who want to improve their perceptive capacities, one of the keys to improving player performance.

Stroke Analysis in Padel According to Match Outcome and Game Side on Court

The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of padel strokes, their effectiveness, direction, and court zone, comparing between the winning and losing pairs in the match and the playing side of the players. The sample included 8441 strokes corresponding to 1055 points out of a total of nine padel matches in the First National Category. The variables analyzed were type of stroke, court area, effectiveness and directions of the strokes, match outcome, and game side. Matches were analyzed through systematic observation. The results showed that the winning pair made a significantly higher percentage of winners, and cross-court smashes and volleys from the offensive zone. In addition, …