OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the provision and characteristics of athletic training (AT) services at Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I women’s regional tennis tournaments over a six-year period (2018–2023, excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), specially to (1) evaluate the availability and characteristic of AT services provided during competition, and (2) analyze the types and frequency of athletic injuries and physical discomforts experienced by participating athletes.METHODS Data were collected from five ITA Division I Women’s Regional Championship tournaments held annually between 2018 and 2023, with the exception of 2020 when the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating athletes represented 19 colleges from the Northwestern region of the United States. For each tournament, records were compiled regarding the number of singles and doubles participants, as well as instances of match withdrawals or retirements attributed to injury or illness, as documented in official ITA tournament records. Additionally, data on athletic training services were obtained from logs and notes recorded by on-site athletic trainers. These records included both on-court interventions and visits to the athletic training facility during tournament play.RESULTS Over 5 years of tournaments, 637 players competed in singles (617 matches), with 7 walkovers (4 injury, 3 illness; 1.11%) and 8 retirements (7 injury, 1 illness; 1.27%). In 293 doubles matches, 6 walkovers occurred (4 injury, 2 illness; 1.94%) with no retirements. AT services primarily comprised injury assessments and application of athletic taping aimed at stabilizing affected areas, thereby mitigating discomfort and reducing the risk of exacerbation. The most common lower extremity treatments were for ankle inversion sprains, toe blisters, and foot blisters; upper extremity/trunk treatments included wrist compression, lower abdominal strains, and finger blisters. Addtional services provided included hot pack application and stretching, particularly the low back and hamstrings. Across the 5 tournaments, 31 medical timeouts were recorded (mean 6.2 per tournament), most frequently for ankle injuries (7 cases).CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that higher-performing ITA Division I women’s tennis players tend to experience lower injury rates, which may contribute to sustained success in both singles and doubles competition. Notably, across the 5 tournaments analyzed, no walkovers or retirements were recorded beyond the singles quarterfinals or the doubles round of 16, indicating that athletes advancing to later rounds were less affected by injury or illness. These findings highlight the critical role of on-site athletic trainers, whose primary responsibilities include injury assessment, management, taping, and treatment, all of which support athlete performance, recovery, and safety during tournament play.
Han et al. (2025) studied this question.