# Rally and recover: Physiological demands between tennis drills

## TL;DR

This study shows that elite adolescent tennis players experience high metabolic demands during and after repeated tennis drills, indicating significant physical intensity.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into physiological recovery patterns during tennis drills in elite adolescents.

## Key findings

- V˙O2max utilization remained above 75% during all drills, peaking in the first drill.
- Blood lactate concentration varied significantly across recovery periods, with the lowest in the second recovery.
- Ventilatory equivalents for CO2 increased progressively during recovery, showing elevated respiratory compensation.

## Abstract

This study examined physiological recovery between repeated tennis drills in elite adolescent tennis players. Ten tennis players (5 males, 5 females; age 17 ± 2 years) underwent treadmill testing to establish maximal physiological characteristics. Several days later participants completed three standardized on-court tennis drills with fixed rest intervals, during which physiological parameters were monitored. A one-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare physiological responses across the three drills. V˙O2max utilization stayed above 75% in all drills, peaking during the first drill (p = 0.003). During recovery, V˙O2max utilization decreased from 58 ± 8% in the first recovery to 50 ± 9% (p = 0.018) and 47 ± 12% (p = 0.022) in the second and third recovery, respectively. The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) stayed below 1.0 during drills, while increasing during recovery periods, (1.07 ± 0.08, 1.00 ± 0.01, 1.04 ± 0.05; p = 0.014). Ventilatory equivalents for oxygen (V˙E/V˙O2) were stable (p = 0.054), while those for carbon dioxide (V˙E/V˙CO2) increased progressively for each recovery period (29.5 ± 3.6, 31.5 ± 3.8, 32.3 ± 4.3; p < 0.001). Blood lactate concentration differed significantly across recovery periods (p = 0.035) with the lowest value in recovery period two (5.9 ± 2.0, 4.9 ± 1.9 and 5.6 ± 2.0 mmol·l-1). These findings highlight a sustained metabolic demand extending into the recovery phase during standardized tennis drills, characterized by substantial V˙O2max utilization and elevated respiratory compensation. This suggests a significant anaerobic contribution and underscores the intensity of the physiological load imposed even after exercise cessation.