Abstract
Wheelchair mobility is an important factor for success in wheelchair tennis. Tennis matches can be played on different surfaces, so the aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of court surface on wheelchair tennis mobility. Four male wheelchair tennis players (age = 33.75 ± 12.33 years) performed two tests (20 m sprint and agility t-test) on three official court surfaces (hard, artificial grass and clay). Photocell gates were used to record time and ascertain sprint and turn ability of the wheelchair tennis players. ANOVA test with post hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted to compare the mean differences among surfaces. Following the analysis, the wheelchair tennis players moved faster on hard or clay surfaces than on artificial grass although no statistically significant differences in the 20 m sprint and agility t-test between each of the three surfaces were found (p > 0.05). Moreover, the surface seems to affect mobility more, with respect to turns than in linear locomotion, although more research is needed on this aspect. The playing surfaces may need to be an extra variable in planning performance related activities such as techniques and tactics.
Highlights
The Paralympic movement has had significant growth with an increasing number of countries and athletes participating in these games (Bernardi et al, 2010)
There are some studies in Wheelchair tennis (WT) that show the influence of surface on match statistics (Sánchez-Pay, Palao, Torres-Luque, & Sanz-Rivas, 2015) or physical demands (Ponzano & Gollin, 2017), but there are no studies on the influence of surface on WT mobility
There were no statistically significant differences found in the 20 m test between each of the three surfaces (Table 3)
Summary
The Paralympic movement has had significant growth with an increasing number of countries and athletes participating in these games (Bernardi et al, 2010). Wheelchair sport, especially in ball games such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis, are an organised leisure-time activity as well as a competitive sport and has gained popularity (Abel, Platen, Rojas Vega, Schneider, & Strüder, 2008). Wheelchair tennis (WT) is one of the public’s favourite Paralympic sports (Diaper & Goosey-Tolfrey, 2009). WT matches are always played to the best of three sets and the main difference regarding regulations in comparison to conventional tennis (CT) is that the ball can bounce twice before it must be returned (ITF, 2020). WT can be played on three surfaces (hard, grass and clay). There are some studies in WT that show the influence of surface on match statistics (Sánchez-Pay, Palao, Torres-Luque, & Sanz-Rivas, 2015) or physical demands (Ponzano & Gollin, 2017), but there are no studies on the influence of surface on WT mobility
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