Tennis ball diameter: the effect on performance and the concurrent physiological responses

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of a pressurized tennis ball 6% greater in diameter (Type 3) than a standard sized (Type 2) ball on performance and the physiological responses to the Loughborough Intermittent Tennis Test (LITT) (Davey et al., 2002). Eight competitive tennis players (males, n = 4, age 24.8 ± 3.5 years, body mass 81.3 ± 3.1 kg, height 1.74 ± 0.02 m, estimated VO2max 54.4 ± 2.6 ml · kg-1 · min-1; females, n = 4, age 26.3 ± 3.1 years, body mass 67.0 ± 6.7 kg, height 1.68 ± 0.02 m, estimated VO2max 49.9 ± 3.3 ml · kg-1 · min-1; mean ± s x ) completed two main trials of the LITT with either the Type 2 or Type 3 tennis balls to the point of volitional fatigue. The mean time to volitional fatigue was 29.5% greater during the Type 3 trials than during the Type 2 trials (56.9 ± 6.4 min vs 40.1 ± 3.7 min; P < 0.05). The mean percentage accuracy and mean percentage consistency recorded for the entire LITT were greater for the Type 3 than the Type 2 trials (9.2 ± 1.5 vs 4.0 ± 0.3% and 61.1 ± 0.6 vs 51.3 ± 0.6%, respectively; P < 0.01). A significantly lower mean heart rate and blood lactate concentration were observed during the Type 3 than during the Type 2 trials. There was a clear effect of ball diameter on tennis performance and certain physiological responses.