Longitudinal Study of the Level of Male and Female Top Tennis Players Performance Preconditions

In contemporary world tennis, there is a clear tendency towards conditionally demanding game, the most important motor preconditions being speed (reaction and action), strength (particularly start and explosive), strength endurance, and specific coordination abilities. The presented case study is based on the so-called retrospective theory. The research intent was longitudinal monitoring of the level of somatic and motor preconditions in top Czech tennis players (male player TB and female player PK). The research has a character of a longitudinal study, the research data was acquired with the test battery TENDIAG1 containing three somatic and six motor items. The results of both tested athletes clearly show that the total point score in the test battery was above the boundary of the average level of the population of male and female top Czech tennis players through the whole monitored period. The evaluation of intersexual differences has proved a practical significantly higher level in most items of the test battery in the male player TB with the exception of testing the torso flexibility and the reaction speed of arms and legs. The female player PK has shown a higher level in the test of flexibility in shoulder joints. The results provide interesting insights and suggestions for training practice because they come from long-time research of elite tennis players