Review
Strength and conditioning in tennis: Current research and practice

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Summary

Virtually all professional tennis players are in continuous pursuit of enhanced performance. With the modern game becoming increasingly dynamic and tournament schedules no less demanding, the importance of physical fitness is well accepted. Indeed, most professional tennis players resource strength and conditioning specialists on a full- or part-time basis. As tennis play is characterised by intricate bio-energetics, planning specific strength and conditioning interventions represents a significant challenge for the specialist. Further, where game physiology and mechanics have been described extensively, critiques of the efficacy of different training initiatives are far less common. This review therefore considers the current scientific, tennis-specific fitness training evidence base in light of contemporary conditioning, and more particularly resistance training, practices.

Introduction

Technical expertise, tactical sense and psychological skill are considered to correlate strongly with tournament success in tennis.1 However, in the absence of well-developed physical fitness, it is unlikely that these attributes alone will allow a player's potential to be fully realised.2 Due to the complex bio-energetic nature of tennis play, providing an ideal platform of physical fitness represents a significant challenge in the planning of specific strength (resistance training) and conditioning interventions. Further confounding optimal player preparation are the intensive professional tennis calendars, punctuated by weekly inter-continental travel and uncertain playing times. While several recent reviews have summarised game physiology and mechanics,3, 4 markedly less attention has been afforded to examining subsequent practical application. Similarly, a paucity of scientific consideration has been afforded to establishing an evidence base for tennis-specific resisitance training in light of its popular integration into current practice. Consequently, the following critique summarises game physiology and mechanics from both scientific and practical perspectives, before a more concerted examination of the literature pertaining to tennis-specific resistance training is undertaken.

Section snippets

Physiological and mechanical characteristics of tennis play

Similar to traditional coaching approaches pervading the practice of tennis technique and tactics; strength and energy system development are often pursued independently, despite no such dichotomy in tennis performance. To this end, from a practical standpoint, a conceptual link appears to exist, whereby game physiology is commonly analysed to formulate specific anaerobic and aerobic training initiatives and the mechanical characteristics of stroke and movement production tend to guide

Resistance training for tennis players

There has been little research to substantiate the efficacy of strength training programs for tennis players. From published fitness and physiotherapeutic testing normative data, some deductions can be made with respect to how tennis players have adapted to the physiological and mechanical stimulus provided via long-term tennis training and competition. However, this offers only limited guidance to those trainers actively prescribing player programs.

Conclusion

The value of physical training programs in assisting tennis player performance comprises part of anecdotal training lore, yet research corroborating their efficacy are scarce. Nonetheless, documentation of the game's mechanical and physiological demands continues to proliferate, and so armed with a growing – albeit largely descriptive – evidence base, trainers should be able to design increasingly relevant fitness training programs. As part of this process, trainers should exhibit some caution

Acknowledgement

No financial assistance was received to complete this project.

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