Recovery during and after a simulated multi‐day tennis tournament: Combining active recovery, stretching, cold‐water immersion, and massage interventions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a mixed-method recovery intervention (MMR) consisting of active recovery, stretching, cold-water immersion, and massage on physical, technical, physiological, and perceptual recovery during and after a five-day simulated tennis tournament. Nine competitive male tennis players (age, 24.6±4.2 years) with national ranking positions (German Tennis Federation) and Universal Tennis Ratings between approximately 11-13 participated in two singles tennis tournaments, which were separated by a three-month washout period. During the tournaments, participants played five two-and-a-half-hour competitive singles tennis match on five consecutive days. For the assignment to one of two groups, athletes were matched into homogeneous pairs according to their ranking. Then, within each pair, the players were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group performed MMR during the first tournament, whereas the other group used passive recovery (PAS). During the second tournament, recovery conditions were interchanged. Measures of physical and technical performance as well as physiological and perceptual responses (heart rate, blood lactate concentration, perceived exertion) were recorded during match-play sessions. Furthermore, muscle soreness, perceived recovery state, blood markers, countermovement jump height (CMJ), and repeated sprint ability (RSA) were determined before, during, and after the five-day tournament periods. Results showed significant changes over time (P < 0.05) in muscle soreness, perceived recovery state, creatine kinase, c-reactive protein, insulin-like growth factor 1, and countermovement jump height. However, no significant differences or recovery strategy x time interactions were noted either for tennis-specific performance (e.g. number of total points won) or any other of the measured parameters between MMR and PAS (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the repeated use of MMR during and after a five-day tennis tournament did not affect match performance, match load, or recovery from repeated days of tennis match play.

Recovery management in sport: Overview and outcomes of a nine-year multicenter research program

“…It also aimed to assess whether potential responses could be consistently observed at both the group and individual levels (Project Module: Recovery Interventions). [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][59][60][61][62][63] This stage was accompanied by investigations into whether post-training recovery methods might impact training adaptations (Project Module: Recovery Intervention and Training Adaptation), 68,69 and whether the time course of recovery from fatiguing exercise and the effects of recovery interventions would vary based on the age and sex of the athletes. 58,59 Furthermore, observational field data were collected to evaluate how training and competition loads, as well as factors such as sleep and travel, influenced the recovery-stress status of athletes (Project Module: Observational Studies).…”

Analysis of the physiological response in junior tennis players during short-term recovery: Understanding the magnitude of recovery until and after the 25 seconds rule

“…Studies have analyzed the physiological profile (heart rate – HR; oxygen uptake – V̇O 2 ) of tennis players and their immediate and short-term recovery. 14,15 Furthermore, Duffield et al 16 have investigated the effects of combining several recovery procedures on physical, physiological, and perceptual recovery after a two-a-day on-court training and match-play sessions (i.e. training recovery).…”