Objective: To determine the physiological responses and stroke characteristics of common on-court tennis training drills.Methods: Six high-performance players performed 1×6 repetitions of four common on-court training drills on two separate occasions; once with 30:30 seconds work:rest, and once with 60:30 seconds work:rest. Heart rate (HR), blood lactate [La⁻], distance covered by the player (GPS) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured before the start of each drill and after the first and last repetition. Measures of shot count and accuracy and post-impact ball velocity per drill were also recorded.Results: Significant differences were observed between drills in measures of [La⁻] and RPE both during ([La⁻] 2.1–4.4 mmol/l; RPE 2.6–5.1) and after ([La⁻] 4.4–10.6 mmol/l; RPE 4.3–7.6) drills, yet individual HR responses (160–182 beats/minute) were similar. Increased work times (60v30 seconds) also produced consistently raised [La⁻] and RPE responses, yet players’ average movement velocities and forehand ball speed and accuracy remained consistent. Significant decreases in forehand ball speed and accuracy were observed during higher-intensity training drills, whereas significantly lower mean movement velocities underpinned performance of less intensive drills.Conclusions: The four drills produced physiological responses that reflect previously reported normal or maximal matchplay demands. These results point to the adaptations possible with adjustment of training drill type and load specific to matchplay demands or training phase.

Match statistics are supplied at the majority of professional tennis tour events. The governing body of the men’s tour – the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – updates players’ statistical profiles on a weekly basis. The relationships between the rankings and fourteen statistics describing the match performance of the top 100 male professional players in 2007 were examined to determine which statistics were most related to playing success. Partial correlations determined the strength of these associations and selected variables were entered into a stepwise regression procedure to predict professional ranking. Five variables were significant predictors of top 100 ranking while only second serve return points won and second serve points won remained in the final prediction equation, which accounted for 52% of the variance in professional ranking: predicted men’s professional ranking = 548.5 + -666.6 * second serve points won + -319.9 * second serve return points won. This analysis suggests that second serve points won and second serve return points are among the most relevant statistics commonly available to ATP players.

The relationship between junior boys' tennis success, as measured by a top 20 International Tennis Federation's Junior Circuit (ITFJC) ranking, and subsequent ranking accomplishments in professional men's tennis is discussed. The names, countries, and birthdates of all players to achieve a top 20 ITFJC boys' year-end ranking from 1992 to 1998 were recorded. The progress of these players through the professional ranks was then tracked to the end of 2004. Results indicate that 91% of top 20-ranked boys achieved a professional men's ranking, while a stepwise regression analysis revealed junior ranking (JR) to be a predictor of future, professional ranking (β = 0.232, r ² = 0.054, p < 0.05). A regression equation [predicted professional rank = 78.17 + 6.31∗(JR)] accounted for a significant amount of variance in professional ranking. For male players, therefore, the achievement of a top 20 junior ranking appears to be a reasonable yardstick for future, professional success. The type of surface upon which junior players develop their games was also shown to influence professional ranking highs, with play on clay courts or a combination of clay and hard courts helping to produce higher, professionally ranked players than hard court play alone (p≤ 0.01).

To study the influence of age and gender on pre-competitive and post-competitive anxiety and self-confidence in young tennis players. A total of 42 U’12 to U’18 category tennis players, 12 females and 30 males, participated in this cross-sectional study. The players had a mean age of 13.74 (2.07) years old and a national competitive experience of 4.00 (2.14) years. The pre-competitive anxiety of the participants was assessed using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2R (CSAI-2R) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-E) before and after an official tournament’s match. Results showed that younger players showed lower trait anxiety (r = 0.333; p < 0.05), lower pre-match state anxiety (r = 0.501; p < 0.01) and lower pre-match somatic anxiety (r = 0.313; p < 0.05). Furthermore, girls exhibited higher values of state anxiety (r = 0.445; p < 0.01) and somatic anxiety (r = 0.440; p < 0.01) than boys before the match. However, differences were not observed in the trait anxiety measured by STAI-E (r = 0.203; p = 0.213), cognitive anxiety (r = 0.140; p = 0.363), and self-confidence measured by the CSAI questionnaire (r = 0.150; p = 0.333), before the match. Therefore, coaches and sport psychologists should implement adequate on- and off-court individualized interventions to manage anxiety, specifically in girls and players over 14 years old. Although anxiety levels were similar to those before the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the influence of the pandemic on mental health, results might be taken with caution.