Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Sep;25(9):e70023.
doi: 10.1002/ejsc.70023.

Physical Performance Tests in 8008 Competitive Youth Tennis Players-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Normative Values

Sebastian Axman  1   2 , Martin B Stausholm  1   3 , Nicola Reiner Volk  4 , Alexander Ferrauti  4 , S P Magnusson  1   2   5 , Christian Couppé  1   2   5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Physical Performance Tests in 8008 Competitive Youth Tennis Players-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Normative Values

Sebastian Axman et al. Eur J Sport Sci. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Normative values for physical performance tests (PTESTs) offer insights into athletes' profiles on strengths and weaknesses to enhance performance and mitigate injury risks. However, such data for youth tennis players have not previously been compiled in a systematic review. We conducted a systematic review of 17 popular PTESTs covering speed, agility, strength, and power in healthy, competitive youth tennis players under the age of 8-18 years. A search for eligible studies indexed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted on the 26th of March 2023. Forty-five studies (8008 players) were included and meta-analyzed. The analysis accounted for age, sex, and the use of dominant/nondominant sides. Many of the results were associated with a high level of statistical heterogeneity likely due to variations in test procedures. Data for players under the age of 8-10 years were generally lacking, and males were studied more than females. Higher age, male gender, and the use of the dominant side were generally associated with higher performance levels. In male players, the internal rotation of the dominant shoulder appeared to decrease with age, which may lead to injury. The review offers preliminary references for coaches, clinicians, and researchers to identify players' strengths and weaknesses, potentially aiding the enhancement of performance and the prevention of injuries.

Keywords: competitive; normative values; physical performance tests; systematic review; tennis players; youth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Overview of physical components for tennis performance (M. S. Kovacs 2007).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Flow chart illustrating the study selection process.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Global representation of studies included in the review. Countries are shaded according to the frequency of representation, with darker blue color indicating a higher number of studies.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Countermovement jump as shown by a line graph. Filled lines representing the exact data points, age, and sex dependent and dotted lines represent the linear trendline for both sexes.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
20m sprint as shown by a line graph. Filled lines representing the exact data points, age, and sex dependent, dotted lines representing the linear trendline for both sexes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Akşit, T. , and Nalcakan G. R.. 2016. “P‐67 Percentile Norms and Age and Sex Differences in the Motor Performance Tests of 9–10 Years Old Junior Tennis Players.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 50, no. Suppl 1: A68–A69.
    1. Anicic, Z. , Janicijevic D., Knezevic O. M., et al. 2023. “Assessment of Countermovement Jump: What Should We Report?” Life 13, no. 1: 190. 10.3390/life13010190. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ayala, F. , Moreno‐Pérez V., Vera‐Garcia F. J., Moya M., Sanz‐Rivas D., and Fernandez‐Fernandez J.. 2016. “Acute and Time‐Course Effects of Traditional and Dynamic Warm‐Up Routines in Young Elite Junior Tennis Players.” PLoS One 11, no. 4: e0152790. 10.1371/journal.pone.0152790. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barber, O. R. , Thomas C., Jones P. A., McMahon J. J., and Comfort P.. 2016. “Reliability of the 505 Change‐Of‐Direction Test in Netball Players.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 11, no. 3: 377–380. 10.1123/ijspp.2015-0215. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baxter‐Jones, A. D. G. 1995. “Growth and Development of Young Athletes. Should Competition Levels Be Age Related?” Sports Medicine 20, no. 2: 59–64. 10.2165/00007256-199520020-00001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources