Tennis Match Research Articles

Case study: measurements and modeling of noise from pickleball versus tennis play, and estimation of proposed noise reduction measures

Noise measurements were conducted of play during tennis and pickleball matches for the purposes of comparison and analysis. Modeling was conducted using a 3-D predictive noise modeling software package, and potential noise reduction measures in the form of absorptive noise barriers were modeled in order to assess the potential benefits at an adjacent residence. The paper presents the results of the analysis.

The "Battle of the Sexes": An Embodiment of Gender Conflicts in the 1970s and Influence on Equality in Sports

In 1973, 48 million Americans sat in front of their televisions to watch a tennis match known as the Battle of the Sexes [1]. By pitting a male against a female, this match attracted enormous attention as people thought it possessed an answer to their burning question, which gender is superior? Especially during a time when the prominence of gender social equality advocacy increased conflicting societal sentiments, this tennis match seemed particularly important. This research paper explores the Battle of the Sexes through the lens of second-wave feminism and athleticsspecifically, how this event encapsulates the gender conflicts and catalyzes more equality in sports. By exploring previous research and primary source documentation on the Battle of the Sexes, this paper provides a detailed account of the match and its larger implications for feminism and athletics, allowing readers to better understand the formation of current societal gender norms and expectations, thus, better able to identify current events that may shift future society. Additionally, readers will see the importance of advocacy and how a single point of advocacy can expand into a powerful network that causes change.

Gaussian mixture modeling of acceleration-derived signal for monitoring external physical load of tennis player.

Introduction: With the widespread use of wearable sensors, various methods to evaluate external physical loads using acceleration signals measured by inertial sensors in sporting activities have been proposed. Acceleration-derived external physical loads have been evaluated as a simple indicator, such as the mean or cumulative values of the target interval. However, such a conventional simplified indicator may not adequately represent the features of the external physical load in sporting activities involving various movement intensities. Therefore, we propose a method to evaluate the external physical load of tennis player based on the histogram of acceleration-derived signal obtained from wearable inertial sensors. Methods: Twenty-eight matches of 14 male collegiate players and 55 matches of 55 male middle-aged players wore sportswear-type wearable sensors during official tennis matches. The norm of the three-dimensional acceleration signal measured using the wearable sensor was smoothed, and the rest period (less than 0.3G of at least 5s) was excluded. Because the histogram of the processed acceleration signal showed a bimodal distribution, for example, high- and low-intensity peaks, a Gaussian mixture model was fitted to the histogram, and the model parameters were obtained to characterize the bimodal distribution of the acceleration signal for each player. Results: Among the obtained Gaussian mixture model parameters, the linear discrimination analysis revealed that the mean and standard deviation of the high-intensity side acceleration value accurately classified collegiate and middle-aged players with 93% accuracy; however, the conventional method (only the overall mean) showed less accurate classification results (63%). Conclusion: The mean and standard deviation of the high-intensity side extracted by the Gaussian mixture modeling is found to be the effective parameter representing the external physical load of tennis players. The histogram-based feature extraction of the acceleration-derived signal that exhibit multimodal distribution may provide a novel insight into monitoring external physical load in other sporting activities.

Influence of Successive Wheelchair Tennis Matches on Handgrip Strength in High-Level Male Players

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on upper strength in high-level male players playing four successive wheelchair tennis (WT) matches. Eight international WT players took part in a competition, playing one match per day over four consecutive tournament days. Before and after the match, the maximal isometric handgrip strength was measured on the dominant and non-dominant hand. Additionally, each player was equipped with one radiofrequency and IMU device on their wheelchair to control his activity profile (distance). The results showed significant differences between successive matches, with decreasing dominant handgrip strength (p = 0.02, η2 = 0.043), and there was a significant interaction between successive matches and the accumulated distance (p = 0.013, η2 = 0.049). The pre- and post-match strength values of the dominant hand decreased throughout the matches over a number of days, and post hoc analysis showed differences between the first and fourth matches only in pre-match strength (49.06 ± 6.96 vs. 45.94 ± 7.1; p = 0.045; ES: 1.04) but not in the non-dominant hand. Successive matches caused a decrease in the strength values of the WT players, mainly in the dominant hand. These results should be taken into account in the recovery and prevention of injuries in competitions with successive matches.

Acceleration spikes and attenuation response in the trunk in amateur tennis players during real game actions

Although there are numerous locomotion studies analyzing the degree of attenuation of the acceleration spikes in the lower limbs and the trunk, few of these studies relate to tennis, where a high percentage of injuries occur in these body segments. The aim of this study was to describe the acceleration spikes and the attenuation response along the trunk, in real game actions. For this purpose, accelerometers were placed on the lower trunk, the upper trunk, and the head on a sample of 19 players while playing tennis matches. An average of 530 ± 146 acceleration spikes per match were selected in the upper trunk and a clear attenuation response between the upper trunk and the head was found (acceleration spike magnitude was approximately 25 m/s2 in the upper trunk and approximately 20 m/s2 in the head; p < 0.05; with attenuation percentages above 15%). In all players acceleration spikes of the head were below lower and upper trunk acceleration ( p < 0.05 in all repeated measures ANOVAs and effect sizes were above 0.8, or large effect sizes). However, between the lower trunk and upper trunk no clear attenuation was found and although in some players the impact peaks were higher in the lower trunk ( p < 0.05) the effect sizes were negligible or medium (Cohen d < 0.5). In other players the upper trunk peaks were higher than the lower trunk peaks ( p < 0.05) and in a few players there was no significant difference ( p > 0.05). The attenuation in the upper trunk, probably serves as a head protection/stabilization mechanism and more studies are needed to analyze the biomechanics actions underlying this attenuation response.

Differences in the Situational Parameters of Tennis Matches Between Winners and Losers in the Women’s Main Draw Competition at ROLAND GARROS 2022

Several studies investigated the situational efficiency parameters at tennis matches in the men's and women's competition at previous Rolland Garros tournaments. The aim of this study was to determine if there are differences in the situational efficiency parameters between winners and losers in the women's main draw competition at Roland Garros 2022. This study included 125 main draw matches. Differences in performance were analysed across 7 situational efficiency variables: aces, double faults, 1st serve average speed, 2nd serve average speed, winners, unforced errors and forced errors. The results showed significant differences between winners and losers with the following parameters on the winners’ side: number of aces per match (2.40/1.63; p = 0.03), winners (24.83/19.37; p = 0.00), unforced errors (23.80/29.13; p = 0.00) and forced errors (19.71/23.64; p = 0.00). The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in double faults, 1st serve average speed and 2nd serve average speed. More aces of winners can indicate better service accuracy and variability, as there is no significant difference in service speed. Also, a more successful start of a point can positively affect the early dominance in the point rally and easier achieving of winners. In addition to all the above, it is notable that more successful tennis players, as well as having more winners, record less unforced and forced errors. The information obtained should be used by tennis coaches in planning trainings and preparing matches in order for their tennis players to achieve maximum results.
 Keywords: tennis, efficiency, match statistics

Effects of wingwave® on athletes' wellbeing and fluidity of gaze behavior.

The wingwave® method combining a muscular test and elements of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing has been found to successfully reduce anxiety and improve relaxation in people. However, it is still unclear how exactly its application improves individual wellbeing (though it is assumed to be related to changes in gaze patterns) and if it works for team sport athletes. To test both, team sport athletes who had reported a problem with a team sport aspect were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group members were individually coached by a wingwave® coach once while the other participants watched a tennis match instead. Results showed that athletes in the wingwave® group benefited from the coaching as their individual perception of their problems improved. These improvements were associated with a decrease of catch-up saccades in a visual object-tracking task conducted before and immediately after coaching. This points to wingwave® interventions affecting gaze behavior and consequently wellbeing of team sport athletes.

Notational Analysis of Wheelchair Paralympic Table Tennis Matches

Paralympic table tennis is the third largest paralympic sport for the number of players. Performance analysis was conducted for the rally duration and interval and impact of serve, whilst none investigated the shots distribution among classes of physical impairment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a notational analysis of international competitions in relation to the wheelchair classes. Five matches for each wheelchair class (C1-to-C5) were evaluated from 20 elite male right-handed players. Both players for each match were analyzed for the following performance indicators: strokes type, the area of ball bouncing, and the shots outcome. Backhand shots were the most used technique for all classes. The most used strokes for C1 players were backhand and forehand drive and backhand lob, while for C5 players they were backhand and forehand push and backhand topspin. Similar shots distribution was registered for C2-to-C5 players. The central and far-from-the-net zone was mainly reached by the serve for all classes. Errors shots were similar in all classes, whilst winning shots were more frequent in C1. The current notational analysis provided a meaningful performance modelling of indicators for coaches and athletes that can be used to design training programs for each class.

Physiological demands in simulated tennis matches and hitting tests take account of the translational and rotational kinetic energy ratio of the ball.

Assessment of fatigue effect on hitting ability in tennis has been controversial in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between player fatigue and groundstroke type in tennis. We hypothesized that subjects with higher blood lactate concentration during play would apply heavier spin to the ball. We divided players into two groups based on their blood lactate concentration during a pre-measured hitting test (HIGH and LOW). Each group performed a simulated match-play protocol consisting of repeated running and hitting tests, which simulated a three-set match. Heart rate, percent of heart rate reserve, oxygen uptake, pulmonary ventilation, and respiratory exchange were measured. The distance between the ball's landing point and the target, and the ball's kinematics, were recorded during the hitting test between sets. We found no significant difference in ball kinetic energy between groups, but the HIGH group hit the ball with a greater ratio of rotational kinetic energy to total kinetic energy. However, the progression of the simulation protocol did not affect physiological responses (including blood lactate concentration) or hitting ability. Therefore, it is suggested that the type of groundstrokes used by players is one of the factors that should be considered when discussing fatigue in tennis.

Effects of technical-tactical skills on enhancing scoring efficiency when competing with opponents using different handedness in table tennis matchups

Technical-tactical skills are key to determining table tennis match performance. Identifying the skills that can increase scoring probability when competing against opponents with different racket handedness is vital. The aim of this study was to investigate the technical-tactical actions that could significantly improve scoring efficiency in SH (same-handedness) matches and OH (opposite-handedness) matches. The statistics of 72 top-level men's singles matches were collected (40 SH matches and 32 OH matches). An independent samples t-test was performed to evaluate the differences in the scoring efficiency of the point-winning shot. The results showed that the following maneuvers were crucial technical-tactical skills to increase scoring probability: (1) during the mutual-restriction phase, executing a forehand short push to forehand during service round and a backhand long push to backhand during receiving round against SH opponents (p < 0.05, ES: 0.59–0.70), and a backhand short push to middle in receiving round against OH opponents (p < 0.01, ES = 0.66); (2) during the initial-attack-and-counterattack phase, performing an initial forehand flip and a loop (drive) to forehand, a counter backhand loop (drive) to backhand during both types of rounds, and a forehand block (lob) to forehand during service round against SH opponents (p < 0.05, ES: 0.52–1.18), and an initial forehand loop (drive) to backhand and a counter backhand loop (drive) to forehand during both types of rounds, an initial forehand flip and a loop (drive) to backhand during service round, and an initial backhand flip to middle during receiving round against OH opponents (p < 0.05, ES: 0.45–0.99); and (3) during the topspin-exchange phase, hitting a forehand loop (drive) to forehand during service round and a backhand loop (drive) to backhand during both types of rounds against SH opponents (p < 0.05, ES: 0.51–1.32), a forehand loop (drive) to backhand during both types of rounds against OH opponents (p < 0.01, ES: 0.77–0.91). Professionals are recommended to concentrate on the enhancement of the abovementioned key technical-tactical skills to achieve better match performance.

EFEITOS DA SUPLEMENTAÇÃO DIETÉTICA SOBRE O TREINO DAS ATLETAS TENISTAS EM CLIMAS QUENTES

ABSTRACT Introduction A tennis match may last up to four hours with long intervals between moves of medium to high exercise intensity for 10 minutes and aerobic characteristic that requires specific sources of energy. Inappropriate diets can negatively impact sports performance and delay the recovery phase. Fortified wheat germ protein powder has the supplementation characteristics required in aerobic activities, although there are no practical studies on its impacts on the work performance of female tennis athletes. Objective Explore the influence of two weeks of training in a warm environment combined with nutritional intervention on the performance of female tennis players. Methods It was observed by testing the immunological indices of elite female tennis players while training their changes and their effects on nutritional intervention. Results The increase in serum CK activity was closely related to the amount of exercise. Many studies have shown that serum CK activity increased significantly after strenuous exercise, and the serum CK value of subjects in the test group was significantly lower than that of the control group, showing better adaptability to exercise. Compared with before the nutritional intervention, the athletes’ weight decreased slightly, and the body fat percentage decreased significantly after the nutritional intervention. Compared with before nutritional intervention, sugar and salt supplements in athletes were significantly increased (P&lt;0.05). Sweating rate, hydration rate, and hydration/sudden rate were also significantly increased (P&lt;0.05). Conclusion Strengthening wheat germ protein supplementation may improve the nutritional albumin level in female tennis players, manifested in blood levels and immune function performance. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

Expertise, gender, and equilibrium play

Mixed‐strategy Nash equilibrium is the cornerstone of our understanding of strategic situations that require decision makers to be unpredictable. Using data from nearly half a million serves over 3000 tennis matches, and data on player rankings from the ATP and WTA, we examine whether the behavior of professional tennis players is consistent with equilibrium. We find that win rates conform remarkably closely to the theory for men, but conform somewhat less neatly for women. We show that the behavior in the field of more highly ranked (i.e., better) players conforms more closely to theory. We show that the statistical tests used in the prior related literature are not valid for large samples like ours; we develop a novel statistical test that is valid and show, via Monte Carlo simulations, that it is more powerful against the alternative that receivers follows a nonequilibrium mixture.

The impact of sleep behaviours, chronotype and time of match on the internal and external outcomes of a tennis match

Tennis match performance is often evaluated by a player's internal (heart rate) and external (match analytics) outcomes. Numerous factors could influence these outcomes, including the time of day, which may be advantageous or not depending on a player's chronotype. This study aimed to determine the influence time of day, chronotype and sleep–wake behaviour (SWB) had on internal and external outcomes of tennis matches. Twelve state-level male tennis players, with a mean age of 28 ± 7, stature of 183 ± 7 and body mass of 86.6 ± 17.4 wore an actigraph device and completed a sleep diary for the study duration. Based on rankings, players were paired against the same opponent and completed three tennis matches at 8:00 am, 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, separated by a minimum of 48 h. Fatigue and chronotype, measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale, Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire and midsleep time, were assessed before matches; motivation, measured by the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, was assessed after matches. During matches, players wore global positioning systems and heart rate monitors; the match analytics and players’ rate of perceived exertion were recorded. Increased unforced errors and decreased winners and forced errors were observed in the evening matches. Decreased total distance and rate of perceived exertion during the second set were found for the evening compared to morning and afternoon matches. Chronotype and sleep–wake behaviour had trivial to weak associations with internal and external outcomes. These results indicate that players and coaches should consider the match times when training for future tournaments.

Research on a New Control System Based on L1 Adaptive Control Scheme for the Voice Coil Motor

With the continuous development of voice coil motors, it has also been widely used in today’s sports competitions. For example, the Hawk-Eye system in tennis matches uses voice coil motors to focus on the camera to capture the trajectory of the tennis ball. Therefore, in order to better solve the problem of dynamic parameter uncertainty, external load disturbance, and tracking control of the voice coil motor servo system in motion, this paper proposes for the first time the strategy of using L1 adaptive control algorithm to control the voice coil motor servo system. First, it briefly analyzes the working principle and control method of the voice coil motor, and then constructs the uncertain parameter model according to the mathematical model of the voice coil motor. The closed-loop system of voice coil motor is simulated and analyzed by L1 adaptive controller. The results show that the L1 adaptive control method effectively suppresses the high-frequency interference caused by the voice coil motor in operation, can control the tracking error to gradually converge and so the tracking effect is better, and has strong robustness to the perturbation of system parameters. It can be applied to voice coil motor servo control.

A different unhappy triad in the knee: a case of acute simultaneous rupture of Patellar Tendon, Anterior Cruciate Ligament and lateral meniscus treated in one stage and review of literature.

We present a case report of a 43-year-old male patient with simultaneous ruptured of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), patellar tendon (PT) and lateral meniscus tear, occurred during a tennis match. This combinate tear is not frequent, and literature reports only few cases. Clinical diagnosis can be difficult and the support of MRI and X-Ray is needed. Surgery was performed within seven days from injury in a one-step fashion. Clinical and radiological outcome treatment was successful.

The Medawar Prize Acceptance Speech 2022.

The Medawar Prize Acceptance Speech 2022.

Tennisgame Physio: A tool for amputees physiotherapy based on gamification

The present work aims to develop a computational solution in hardware and software that uses gamification methodologies to help physiotherapy professionals in the rehabilitation sessions of upper and lower limb amputees, who are in the pre-prosthetic and prosthetic stages. Thus, a table tennis match simulator is developed to instigate patients to reach the flow state during the session. Thus, a mobile program is developed to collect data from the smartphone’s gyroscope sensor and, through Bluetooth communication with the Arduino prototyping board, this information is forwarded to the simulator. The data received is used to move the virtual racket in the game. Furthermore, physiotherapists have a tool integrated with the tennis match simulator, to monitor the progress of patients during the sessions. In short, this solution turns out to be effective in helping both patients and physical therapists in physical rehabilitation sessions.

Abstract 13408: Vaping Realities: Views From Youth

Introduction: Youth e-cigarette use is a pressing public health issue. To better understand the landscape of youth e-cigarette use, we engaged middle and high schoolers (N=37) in a photovoice project and focus group interviews. Methods: Members of the VAPERACE Center’s Youth Advisory Council documented experiences with vaping through photographs from October 2021-April 2022. A question was posted each month (e.g. Where do you see vaping?), and participants recorded responses through photographs and then discussed these with the group, focusing on how the photographs conveyed the reality of vaping in their lives. They also participated in focus groups with open-ended questions designed to spur conversation about direct experiences with vaping and their related perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs. Using the constant comparative method, participant responses were analyzed for key themes. Results: Overwhelmingly, the photographs and focus group responses indicate that these youth have considerable exposure to vaping. Their photos documented that vaping pervades many aspects of their lives (e.g. in cars and school bathrooms, at parties and sporting events). Comments such as, “It’s everywhere. Everywhere you go. Everywhere you look.” underscore the degree to which youth confront vaping. Additionally, participants said that promotion of vape products was common, from the stores they entered to their social media feeds, and agreed on the power of social media influencers, which were paid more attention than PSAs. Because one “can’t hide from vapes,” one needs strategies to resist use, and these youth emphasized that “exit strategies” and face-saving approaches (e.g. “Thanks, but I’ve got a tennis match.”) worked better than strong, direct messages (e.g. ”No!”). They also expressed concerns about health effects, including CVD, and negative environmental impacts from trash produced by disposable e-cigarettes. Conclusions: The photovoice and focus groups revealed considerable exposure to vaping. Because these youth perceive that exposure cannot be avoided, they emphasized strategies to decline use. Thus, health advocates should consider strengthening educational programming to assist youth in honing refusal skills, especially indirect ones.

Effects of mixed-cooling strategies on executive functions in simulated tennis in hot and humid conditions.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of mixed-cooling strategies, which combines external (cooling vest + neck cooled collar) and internal cooling (cold sports drink ingestion) on measures of executive function during simulated tennis in hot/humid conditions. In a counterbalanced design (randomised order), eight males undertook two trials [one with the mixed-cooling strategy, (MCOOL condition) and another without (CON condition)] in a climate chamber (36.5°C, 50% relative humidity). All subjects completed an intermittent treadmill protocol simulating a three-set tennis match with a 90-second break during odd-numbered games and 120-second breaks between sets, in accordance with the activity profile and International Tennis Federation rules. The mixed-cooling strategies were adopted before test and break time during the simulated tennis match. Stroop task, 2-back task, More-odd shifting task, gastrointestinal temperature (Tgi), skin temperature, blood lactic acid (BLA), heart rate, urine specific gravity (USG), sweat rate (SR), thermal sensation (TS) and perceived exertion (RPE) were measured. Results showed that the mean exercise time was longer in the MCOOL condition than in the CON condition. The SR was greater in CON trial compared with that in MCOOL trial. Results of two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures revealed that time×condition interactions were significant in BLA, Stroop response time, and switch cost of the more-odd shifting task. There were main effects of condition for Tgi, HR, TS, RPE, BLA, Stroop response time, and switch cost of the more-odd shifting task. In a hot/wet environment, pre- and intermittent mixed-cooling strategies can significantly improve exercise time and measures of executive function of tennis players in a simulated tennis match.

A Visible Analysis Approach for Table Tennis Tactical Benefit.

Tactics are one of the winning factors in table tennis matches because they can reflect the technical strength and strategies of players. However, the current evaluation method of tactics is relatively simple, and it can be difficult to distinguish the pros and cons of different tactics. To solve these issues, this study used information from 60 matches played by top-25 men's right-handed shake-hand offensive players as samples and proposed a tactical benefit algorithm and a visible evaluation model to analyse tactical performance. The model could help coaches and players find meaningful tactics quickly and easily and make reasonable comparisons between them. The results showed that 1) the numbers of tactics based on the tactical association-mining model and the L-shaped curve were 37 in the first six strokes. Among them, there were 9 selected tactics in the first to third strokes, the third to fifth strokes, and the second to fourth strokes, respectively, and 10 selected tactics in the fourth to sixth strokes. 2) The visible evaluation model of tactical benefit can determine the difference between the frequency, scoring rate, and benefit of different tactics as mapped into the model as well as quickly and effectively discover the distribution of tactics and measure the advantages and disadvantages of tactics from multiple dimensions.