Wheelchair tennis, from health to competitive analysis: A narrative review

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this article is to analyse benefits of the playing wheelchair tennis in people with disabilities and to know some aspects that affect a player´s performance. Methods: Keyword search of Medline, SPORT Discus and Scholar Google databases was conducted to find relevant studies pertaining to: wheelchair tennis and adapted sports. The search was carried out from 1988 to February 2018. Also reference lists of articles obtained were manually searched for relevant literature. Narrative review methods were used to synthesise the data. Results: The psychology literature was limited, although wheelchair tennis seems to provide a reduction in depression and trait anxiety and an increase in vigour. Playing wheelchair tennis is sufficient to prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases, due the energy expenditure is comparable to the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine. Wheelchair mobility seems to be an important factor of success in WT, and the chair configuration affects the moving speed. Conclusions: Following the studies presented in this paper, we recommend that people with disabilities playing sport to improve their health condition. Also, coaches and fitness trainers can use the information provided within this study to adapt and improve the specific training programs for players.

Competitive Evolution of Professional Wheelchair Tennis from the Paralympic Games in Athens 2004 to Rio 2016: An Observational Study

“…Wheelchair tennis (WT) was part of the PG in Barcelona 92 and is considered one of the favourite Paralympic sports for the public [ 2 ]. WT is one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the world, with more than 150 international tournaments and over USD 3 million in prize money [ 3 ].…”

Key Physical Factors in the Serve Velocity of Male Professional Wheelchair Tennis Players

“…In this category players have a wide range of disabilities, including spinal cord injury, single amputees, double amputees or spina bifida. In the Quad category, men and women play together and they also have a disability in their upper limbs as well [ 5 ].…”

Wheeling performance in wheelchair tennis

“…Wheelchair tennis became part of the Paralympic games in 1992 and has grown in professionalism and popularity ever since (1)(2)(3). International wheelchair tennis competition is an excellent example of the natural inclusion of a disability sport into a mainstream sports event.…”