Relationships between physical characteristics and ranking of young tennis players

The purpose of the present study was: 1) to determine young tennis players’ fitness and anthropometric characteristics; and 2) to determine to what extent these characteristics relate to the players’ national ranking. Forty young (age 15.1 ±0.4) trained male tennis players, who were ranked from 1 to 40 in their age group in the country’s youth tennis players list, were tested for speed, speed endurance, flexibility, strength, specific agility and quickness, aerobic capacity, height, and weight. Significant correlations were found between the players’ ranking and speed (r = 0.430 – 0.475), specific agility and quickness (r = 0.626), speed endurance (r = 0.562), strength (r = –0.416), aerobic capacity (r = –0.581), flexibility (r = 0.352), height (r = –0.443), and weight (r = –0.293). Stepwise regression analysis indicated that specific agility and quickness accounted for almost 40% of the players’ ranking, while its combination with the players’ height accounted for 56%. The results imply the overall importance of anaerobic capabilities and tennis-specific movements to the young tennis players’ ranking. The results also emphasize the importance of tennis-specific tests to the young tennis players’ performance evaluation