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Running in Tennis

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The Running Athlete

Abstract

Over the years, tennis has evolved from a technical/tactical game, based on style and skill and endurance, to the current fast and explosive sport based on physical ability, where athletes have excellent muscle power and great reactive qualities and where the serve is an element sometimes crucial in a match. Tennis is a dynamic, swift and unpredictable game played in a limited and well-defined space. In the game of tennis, an increasingly critical role is played by the speed with which the player can move to intercept the ball hit by the competitor. The faster the player can move, the greater the chance that he will manage to position himself properly to coordinate in hitting the ball with power and precision. A tennis player’s speed and accelerations are complex qualities involving various components, not only belonging to the motor areas but including also cognitive processes mainly related to the understanding of game situations and correlated decisions. Consequently, correct tactical training influences the increase in speed of the game itself and of the movements on the court.

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Zimaglia, C., Afriat, P., Sirola, D., Carnovale, P. (2022). Running in Tennis. In: Canata, G.L., Jones, H., Krutsch, W., Thoreux, P., Vascellari, A. (eds) The Running Athlete. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65064-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65064-6_18

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