| Tennis is a sport with repeated high intensity, short work bouts, interspersed with regular rest periods. Despite the popularity of tennis, limited data is available regarding the metabolic cost of tennis. The purpose of this study was to perform a metabolic analysis of players during match play. Two female Division I collegiate athletes (means: age = 24 +/- 0 yr., ht = 159 +/- 1.8 cm, wt = 57.2 +/- 1.9 kg, %BF = 23.7 +/- 2.8, treadmill VO2max = 48.6 +/- 4.8 ml/kg/min) participated. Subject I played two tennis sets, and Subject 2 played one set. VO2 (ml/kg/min) was monitored with a KB1-C portable metabolic analyzer and heart rate (HR) with a Polar HR monitor during play. Blood lactate (BL) (mmol/L) was assessed using an Accusport BL analyzer at odd game changeovers. Results were compared to a treadmill VO2max test. Conclusion. Metabolic data from this study confirms that tennis is a highly intermittent activity with a range of energy requirements. |
