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Purpose Tennis demands exceptional technical skills, speed, strength and endurance. Previous studies have highlighted the high energy expenditure during tennis drills due to constant directional changes. While metabolic monitoring and player tracking have been used to quantify exercise intensity and movements, mechanical efficiency (ME) in tennis remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate ME in tennis by combining metabolic and mechanical measurements during on-court drills.

Methods Ten elite adolescent tennis players (males n = 5, females n = 5) performed a VO2max test on a treadmill and participated in three standard tennis drills, Spanish cross, lateral and inside out. During the tennis drill, full-body kinematics were captured, and energy expenditure was measured using a portable breath-by-breath gas analysis. ME was calculated for each drill, and individual differences were examined.

Results Results revealed significant differences in energy expenditure and mechanical work between drills. ME was not associated with VO2max or running speed. highlighting the need to focus on other factors like strength, footwork technique, and neuromuscular training to enhance ME.

Conclusion This study underscores the complexity of ME in tennis, with individual variations and where factors like footwork technique, muscular strength and motor abilities might influence ME.