Abstract
The aims of this study were (i) to describe the relative intensity of simulated tennis play based on the cumulative time spent in three metabolic intensity zones, and (ii) to determine the relationships between this play intensity distribution and the aerobic fitness of a group of competitive players. 20 male players of advanced to elite level (ITN) performed an incremental on-court specific endurance tennis test to exhaustion to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the first and second ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2). Ventilatory and gas exchange parameters were monitored using a telemetric portable gas analyser (K4 b2, Cosmed, Rome, Italy). Two weeks later the participants played a simulated tennis set against an opponent of similar level. Intensity zones (1: low, 2: moderate, and 3: high) were delimited by the individual VO2 values corresponding to VT1 and VT2, and expressed as percentage of maximum VO2 and heart rate. When expressed relative to VO2max, percentage of playing time in zone 1 (77 ± 25%) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in zone 2 (20 ± 21%) and zone 3 (3 ± 5%). Moderate to high positive correlations were found between VT1, VT2 and VO2max, and the percentage of playing time spent in zone 1 (r = 0.68–0.75), as well as low to high inverse correlations between the metabolic variables and the percentage of time spent in zone 2 and 3 (r = -0.49–0.75). Players with better aerobic fitness play at relatively lower intensities. We conclude that players spent more than 75% of the time in their low-intensity zone, with less than 25% of the time spent at moderate to high intensities. Aerobic fitness appears to determine the metabolic intensity that players can sustain throughout the game.
Highlights
Tennis has evolved from a sport in which skill was the primary prerequisite for successful performance into a sport that requires complex interaction of several physical components and metabolic capacities [1,2]
The aims of the study were (i) to describe the relative intensity of simulated tennis play based on the cumulative time spent in three intensity zones delimited by ventilatory thresholds (VTs zones) and heart rate (HR) demarcation points (HR zones) identified via an on-court tennis specific incremental test, and (ii) to determine the relationships between this play intensity distribution and the aerobic fitness of a group of high-level competitive players
Indication of the percentages regarding the maximum values of each variable determined in the specific tennis test (n = 20)
Summary
Tennis has evolved from a sport in which skill was the primary prerequisite for successful performance into a sport that requires complex interaction of several physical components (i.e., strength and agility) and metabolic capacities (i.e., aerobic and anaerobic) [1,2]. Several previous studies have reported the external and internal load demands of tennis play [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Regarding to the external load, tennis match play is characterized by intermittent. Tennis Play Intensity Distribution in Competitive Players
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