Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorGale-Watts, Adam S
dc.contributor.authorNevill, Alan M.
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-03T13:29:20Z
dc.date.available2016-08-03T13:29:20Z
dc.date.issued2016-06-16
dc.identifier.citationGale-Watts, A.S., & Nevill, A.M. (2016). From endurance to power athletes: The changing shape of successful male professional tennis players. European journal of sport science, 16 (8), pp 948-954.
dc.identifier.issn1746-1391
dc.identifier.pmid27310731
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/17461391.2016.1192690
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2436/617882
dc.description.abstractThe aim of the present study was to identify whether the relative shape and size characteristics of elite male tennis players have changed over time, and in addition whether any anthropometric parameters characterise the more successful players in Grand Slam tournaments. The height and body mass of the players qualifying for the first round in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments during the period 1982-2011 was obtained, and successful players defined arbitrarily as those reaching round 3 or beyond. Body mass index (BMI) and the reciprocal ponderal index (RPI) were used as our measures of body shape. Multilevel modelling was used to explore the trend over time using non-linear polynomials. The results suggest that the body shape of elite tennis players has changed over time, with a non-linear (cubic polynomial regression model) increase in BMI and a similar non-linear decline in the RPI. BMI, reflecting greater muscle mass rather than greater adiposity, has emerged as an important factor associated with success, identified by a significantly positive (steeper) "successful player"-by-"year" interaction term. The evidence that the RPI of elite tennis players has also decreased over time, together with a significantly negative "successful player"-by-"year" interaction term, suggests that a more linear (ectomorphic) body shape is a less important factor in terms of success. These results suggest that elite male tennis players are becoming more power trained athletes as opposed to endurance athletes, with greater muscle mass being an important factor associated with success in all Grand Slam tournaments.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.languageENG
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherTaylor & Francis
dc.relation.urlhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17461391.2016.1192690
dc.subjectbody composition
dc.subjectbody mass index
dc.subjectGrand Slam
dc.subjectreciprocal ponderal index
dc.subjectTennis
dc.titleFrom endurance to power athletes: The changing shape of successful male professional tennis players.
dc.typeJournal article
dc.identifier.journalEuropean journal of sport science
dc.date.accepted2016-05-19
rioxxterms.funderUniversity of Wolverhampton
rioxxterms.identifier.projectUOW030816AN
rioxxterms.versionAM
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2017-12-16
dc.source.volume16
dc.source.issue8
dc.source.beginpage948
dc.source.endpage954
refterms.dateFCD2018-10-19T08:41:03Z
refterms.versionFCDAM
refterms.dateFOA2017-12-16T00:00:00Z
html.description.abstractThe aim of the present study was to identify whether the relative shape and size characteristics of elite male tennis players have changed over time, and in addition whether any anthropometric parameters characterise the more successful players in Grand Slam tournaments. The height and body mass of the players qualifying for the first round in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments during the period 1982-2011 was obtained, and successful players defined arbitrarily as those reaching round 3 or beyond. Body mass index (BMI) and the reciprocal ponderal index (RPI) were used as our measures of body shape. Multilevel modelling was used to explore the trend over time using non-linear polynomials. The results suggest that the body shape of elite tennis players has changed over time, with a non-linear (cubic polynomial regression model) increase in BMI and a similar non-linear decline in the RPI. BMI, reflecting greater muscle mass rather than greater adiposity, has emerged as an important factor associated with success, identified by a significantly positive (steeper) "successful player"-by-"year" interaction term. The evidence that the RPI of elite tennis players has also decreased over time, together with a significantly negative "successful player"-by-"year" interaction term, suggests that a more linear (ectomorphic) body shape is a less important factor in terms of success. These results suggest that elite male tennis players are becoming more power trained athletes as opposed to endurance athletes, with greater muscle mass being an important factor associated with success in all Grand Slam tournaments.


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Name:
Gale-Watts, A.S., & Nevill, ...
Size:
383.1Kb
Format:
PDF

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/