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Introduction: The aim of this systematic review is to provide an evidence-based synthesis of the literature on the topic of technical and tactical competencies of tennis players and to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the state of the art of research on technical and tactical competencies (i.e., skills and knowledge) and tennis; (2) What are the most important topics related to technical and tactical competencies in tennis players. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted in Web of Science, PubMED and SPORTDiscus (August to September 2023). This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. To reduce risk, all published literature was searched and primary studies were included. The search terms included skills or competencies, match or play, player and tennis and excluded studies on non-competitive tennis players--notation analysis, AI method, systematic review and validation of tools. Results and discussion: Of the 390 publications found in these searches, 13 articles were considered relevant and included in this study. They were divided into three categories: (1) technical-tactical skills, (2) match situations and (3) match performance. There was clear evidence that there is a test instrument for analyzing tactical-technical skills that has sufficient reliability and validity and is of practical value to tennis coaches. The development of tacticaltechnical skills is influenced by method (variability between/within skills), conditions (court size, ball type) and areas of development (situational awareness, anticipation, decision making). There are differences in match and stroke performance between different quality groups (professionals, juniors), which can also be influenced by mental strength. For a comprehensive study of tennis players' abilities, the use of modern technologies is possible and necessary in the future. Future research should focus on the creation of competency models for the playing level of tennis players, which could include at least three key elements: (1) key competencies, (2) description of standards, (3) evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionThe aim of this systematic review is to provide an evidence-based synthesis of the literature on the topic of technical and tactical competencies of tennis players and to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the state of the art of research on technical and tactical competencies (i.e., skills and knowledge) and tennis; (2) What are the most important topics related to technical and tactical competencies in tennis players.MethodsElectronic searches were conducted in Web of Science, PubMED and SPORTDiscus (August to September 2023). This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. To reduce risk, all published literature was searched and primary studies were included. The search terms included skills or competencies, match or play, player and tennis and excluded studies on non-competitive tennis players—notation analysis, AI method, systematic review and validation of tools.Results and discussionOf the 390 publications found in these searches, 13 articles were considered relevant and included in this study. They were divided into three categories: (1) technical-tactical skills, (2) match situations and (3) match performance. There was clear evidence that there is a test instrument for analyzing tactical-technical skills that has sufficient reliability and validity and is of practical value to tennis coaches. The development of tactical-technical skills is influenced by method (variability between/within skills), conditions (court size, ball type) and areas of development (situational awareness, anticipation, decision making). There are differences in match and stroke performance between different quality groups (professionals, juniors), which can also be influenced by mental strength. For a comprehensive study of tennis players’ abilities, the use of modern technologies is possible and necessary in the future. Future research should focus on the creation of competency models for the playing level of tennis players, which could include at least three key elements: (1) key competencies, (2) description of standards, (3) evidence.

Purpose: Playing styles play a key role in winning soccer matches, but the technical and physical styles of play between home and away match considering team quality in the Chinese Soccer Super League (CSL) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the technical and physical styles of play between home and away matches integrating with team quality in the CSL. Materials and methods: The study sample consists of 480 performance records from 240 matches during the 2019 competitive season in the CSL. These match events were collected using a semi-automatic computerized video tracking system, Amisco Pro®. A k-means cluster analysis was used to evaluate team quality and then using principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the playing styles between home and away matches according to team quality. Differences between home and away matches in terms of playing styles were analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results: Our study found that PC1 presented a positive correlation with physical-related variables such as HIRD, HIRE, HSRD, and HSRE while PC2 was positively associated with the passing-related variables such as Pass, FPass, PassAcc, and FPAcc. Therefore, PC1 typically represents intense-play styles while PC2 represents possession-play styles at home and away matches, respectively. In addition, strong teams preferred to utilize intensity play whereas medium and weak teams utilized possession play whenever playing at home or away matches. Furthermore, the first five teams in the final overall ranking in the CSL presented a compensated technical-physical playing style whereas the last five teams showed inferior performance in terms of intensity and possession play. Conclusion: Intensity or possession play was associated with the final overall ranking in the CSL, and playing styles that combine these two factors could be more liable to win the competition. Our study provides a detailed explanation for the impact of playing styles on match performances whereby coaches can adjust and combine different playing styles for ultimate success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to understand how training and playing conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the performance of Euroleague Basketball players. Using a non-participant observation analysis, the study compared the seasons before the lockdown (2018–2019 and 2019–2020; pre-pandemic) with the season after restart (2020–2021; pandemic). Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon tests were applied for variables with normal and nonnormal distributions, respectively. The results revealed significant changes (p < 0.05) in several offensive and defensive performance-related variables during pandemic times (without attendance): free throw attempts, free throw percentage, turnovers, three-point attempt rate, fouls (small effect sizes, ESs), points, and possessions (trivial ES). The pre-pandemic HA (70%) significantly decreased after the lockdown, with games played with no crowd (51%; p = 0.018, large ES). The one-sample t-test showed that the HA after the COVID-19 interruption was not significantly greater than 50%, indicating that the HA did not endure during the pandemic condition. Although significant differences between home and away teams were found for most performance-related variables (excepting turnovers) in both pre-pandemic and pandemic conditions, variations of the relative HA were only significant for free throw attempts (large ES), points (medium ES), and turnovers (medium ES). The results of this study showed that performance variables were affected by the COVID-19 lockdown. Thus, these findings may help coaches, players, and referees to counteract unwanted competitive events and improve their overall performance, regardless of the contextual/situational circumstances encountered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to understand how training and playing conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the performance of Euroleague Basketball players. Using a non-participant observation analysis, the study compared the seasons before the lockdown (2018–2019 and 2019–2020; pre-pandemic) with the season after restart (2020–2021; pandemic). Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon tests were applied for variables with normal and non-normal distributions, respectively. The results revealed significant changes (p < 0.05) in several offensive and defensive performance-related variables during pandemic times (without attendance): free throw attempts, free throw percentage, turnovers, three-point attempt rate, fouls (small effect sizes, ESs), points, and possessions (trivial ES). The pre-pandemic HA (70%) significantly decreased after the lockdown, with games played with no crowd (∼51%; p = 0.018, large ES). The one-sample t-test showed that the HA after the COVID-19 interruption was not significantly greater than 50%, indicating that the HA did not endure during the pandemic condition. Although significant differences between home and away teams were found for most performance-related variables (excepting turnovers) in both pre-pandemic and pandemic conditions, variations of the relative HA were only significant for free throw attempts (large ES), points (medium ES), and turnovers (medium ES). The results of this study showed that performance variables were affected by the COVID-19 lockdown. Thus, these findings may help coaches, players, and referees to counteract unwanted competitive events and improve their overall performance, regardless of the contextual/situational circumstances encountered.