Abstract
Background During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, training routines of most athletes around the world were abruptly interrupted, potentially increasing the risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to compare 3 measures of training load (TL): tennis-specific TL, physical TL, and total TL management before, during, and after lockdown of 3 professional male tennis players. Case Presentation Three professional male tennis players were monitored throughout the 2020 season. Outcome and Follow-Up The median total weekly TL (CR-10 Borg rating of perceived exertion—session length in minutes) was 5783 arbitrary units (AU). The total weekly TLs before, during, and after lockdown were 7195, 3753, and 5950, respectively. During lockdown, tennis TL was reduced to 0, while physical TL (including preventive loads) increased by 73%. All players suffered an injury/illness during tennis training resumption following lockdown, where 2 of them were musculoskeletal related and the others were due to COVID-19. There was no association between total acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) and injury. However, one case had a spike (>1.5) in tennisspecific ACWR 2 weeks before injury, despite maintaining total ACWR between 0.8 and 1.5. Discussion Tennis and physical differential TL monitoring should be carried out separately in order to ensure tennis-specific player readiness. If only total load is monitored during lockdown or rehabilitation from injury, subsequent increases in tennis load upon return to play could potentially increase the risk of injury. The 3 participants showed a similar pattern of total TL throughout the season with pre-lockdown loads being the highest. JOSPT Cases 2022;2(3):141–148. Epub: 21 June 2022. doi:10.2519/josptcases.2022.10863
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