Abstract
It is currently unknown whether mental fatigue occurs throughout a WPT competition and whether consecutive matches affect how mentally fatiguing a match is perceived to be. The objective was to quantify the effects of successive professional matches on mental fatigue. A total of 14 professional players (9 males, Mage = 25, 5 females, Mage = 21) participated during qualified rounds of a WPT with three eliminatory matches: Match 1 (morning) and 2 (afternoon) on day 1 (n = 14), Match 3 (morning) on day 2 (n = 6). Mental fatigue and motivation, with scales, and reaction time, with a 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test, were measured at two time intervals (pre and post matches (<30 min)). To analyze the evolution of these variables, a two-way repeated measures MANOVA was performed. An increase in mental fatigue from pre- to post-matches was observed (p < 0.01), with an accumulation of mental fatigue between matches played on day 1 (p < 0.01), maximizing the mental fatigue perceived during Match 2. Padel matches impair motivation and reaction time (p = 0.04), without effects between successive matches, which reinforced the idea that mental fatigue may impair padel performance (i.e., reaction time). Coaches should use training interventions and recovery strategies to counteract/avoid the accumulation of mental fatigue during professional tournaments.
Highlights
Mental fatigue significantly increased after a padel match and, in addition, it was significantly higher in M2 than in M1
Motivation and reaction time significantly decreased after a padel match, without significant changes in both variables from M1 to M2, nor an interaction effect
We showed that professional padel matches cause a significant increase in mental fatigue
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The professionalization of padel (e.g., the World Padel Tour (WPT)) has triggered the interest of multiple researchers in this sport. This interest, currently, has resulted in insights into the effects of padel matches on physical and technical–tactical fatigue [1,2]. These studies indicated that padel implies high-intensity efforts performed during a long time, short periods of aerobic rest occur between these high-intensity efforts
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call