Match Activity and Physiological Responses during a Junior Female Singles Tennis Tournament

Jaime Fernandez-Fernandez ^1*, Alberto Mendez-Villanueva ², Benjamin Fernandez-Garcia ³ and Nicolas Terrados ⁴

¹ University of Leon, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Spain
² University of Alcala, Department of Didactics, Spain
³ University of Oviedo, Department of Morphology and Cellular Biology, Spain
⁴ University of Oviedo, Department of Functional Biology, Spain

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jauma_fernandez{at}hotmail.com.

Accepted 4 June 2007

Abstract

Objective: To assess physiological load in conjunction with individual patterns of match-play activity in junior female tennis players during actual singles tennis competition.

Methods: Eight elite junior female tennis players (n = 8; age, 17.3 ± 1.9 years; mean ± SD) took part in a two-day invitational tournament. Activity pattern analysis was performed during competitive matches. Heart rate and blood lactate concentrations were measured during selected changeovers breaks in play.

Results: The activity profile of junior female players were: Rally duration: 8.2 ± 5.2 s, Rest time between rallies: 17.7 ± 6.5 s; Effective playing time: 21.9 ± 3.8%, Strokes per rally: 2.7 ± 1.7 shots; Changes of direction per rally: 2.3 ± 1.4. The average heart rate and blood lactate concentration recorded during the matches were 161 ± 5 beats•min-1 and 2.0 ± 0.8 mmol•l-1). Heart rate and blood lactate concentration values were influenced by the characteristics of the match and mean heart rate was significantly higher (P = 0.004) during service games (166 ± 15.4 beats.m-1) than in return games (156 ± 19.6 beats•m-1), while blood lactate concentrations were not significantly different (P = 0.83) between service (2.3 ± 0.6 mmol•l-1) and return games (2.3 ± 0.9 mmol•l-1). We found a significant (P < 0.05) positive relationship between rally duration, strokes per rally, changes of direction and blood lactate and heart rate responses, with stronger correlations when the players were serving.

Conclusions: The physiological (i.e., blood lactate and heart rate) responses associated with match play were influenced by the characteristics of the match (rally duration, strokes per rally and changes of direction), with higher heart rate on service position. Training programs should reflect these demands placed on female players during competitive match play.

Key Words: activity patterns, blood lactate, heart rate, tennis competition

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