Key Physical Factors in the Serve Velocity of Male Professional Wheelchair Tennis Players

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the physical factors related to serve speed in male professional wheelchair tennis players (WT). Nine best nationally-ranked Spanish male wheelchair tennis players (38.35 ± 11.28 years, 63.77 ± 7.01 kg) completed a neuromuscular test battery consisting of: isometric handgrip strength; serve velocity; 5, 10 and 20 m sprint (with and without racket); agility (with and without racket); medicine ball throw (serve, forehand and backhand movements); and an incremental endurance test specific to WT. Significantly higher correlations were observed in serve (r = 0.921), forehand (r = 0.810) and backhand (r = 0.791) medicine ball throws showing a positive correlation with serve velocity. A regression analysis identified a single model with the medicine ball throw serve as the main predictor of serve velocity (r² = 0.847, p < 0.001). In conclusion, it is recommended that coaches and physical trainers include medicine ball throw workouts in the training programs of WT tennis players due to the transfer benefits to the serve speed.

Keywords: biomechanics; movement; physical tests; tennis.

Figure 1

Service sequence in conventional and wheelchair tennis.

Figure 2

Agility test (T-Test).

Figure 3

Medicine ball through backhand (a), forehand (b), and serve (c).

Figure 4

Relationship between the medicine ball throw test simulating a serve (a), forehand (b), backhand (c) and sprint of 20 m with racket (d) with the serve velocity (km/h).