Does ovulation affect performance in tennis players?

Machiko Otaka, Shu-Man Chen, Yong Zhu, Yung-Shen Tsai, Ching-Yu Tseng, Donovan L Fogt, Boon-Hooi Lim, Chih-Yang Huang, Chia-Hua Kuo, Machiko Otaka, Shu-Man Chen, Yong Zhu, Yung-Shen Tsai, Ching-Yu Tseng, Donovan L Fogt, Boon-Hooi Lim, Chih-Yang Huang, Chia-Hua Kuo

Abstract

Background: Scientific data on the performance of collegiate female tennis players during the menstrual phases are scarce.

Trial design: Double-blind, counter-balanced, crossover trials were conducted to examine whether tennis performance was affected during menstruation, with and without dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) supplementation.

Methods: Ten Division 1 collegiate tennis players (aged 18-22 years) were evenly assigned into placebo-supplemented and DHEA-supplemented (25 mg/day) trials. Treatments were exchanged among the participants after a 28-day washout. Tennis serve performance was assessed on the first day of menstrual bleeding (day 0/28) and on days 7, 14 and 21.

Results: Mood state was unaltered during the menstrual cycles in both trials. The lowest tennis serve performance score (speed times accuracy) occurred on day 14 (P=0.06 vs day 0; P=0.01 vs day 21) in both placebo and DHEA trials. Decreased performance on day 14 was explained by decreased accuracy (P=0.03 vs day 0/28; P=0.01 vs day 21), but not velocity itself. Isometric hip strength, but not quadriceps strength, was moderately lower on day 14 (P=0.08). Increasing plasma DHEA-S (by ~65%) during the DHEA-supplemented trial had no effects on mood state, sleep quality or tennis serve performance.

Conclusion: We have shown that menses does not affect serve performance of collegiate tennis players. However, the observed decrement in the accuracy of serve speed near ovulation warrants further investigation.

Keywords: elite performance; evidence-based; tennis.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in any aspect.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Tennis serve performance fluctuates during menstrual cycles. Serve performance score refers to the mean product of velocity and accuracy from 20 serves. Ball velocity was measured by radar, and accuracy was based on the landing site on the ground in a standard tennis court as illustrated (A). Tennis serve performance decreased on day 14 (main effect of time: P=0.01 vs day 21 and P=0.06 vs day 0/28) (B). Both dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and placebo trials showed a similar trend (C). †Significant difference against day 0/28; #significant difference against day 21.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Accuracy and velocity components of tennis serve performance during menstrual cycles. Mean accuracy decreased on day 14 (A), and both placebo and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) trials showed similar trend (B). Mean velocity was unaltered during the menstrual cycles (C), and both placebo and DHEA trials showed similar trend (D). †Significant difference against day 0/28; #significant difference against day 21.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hip isometric muscle strength and postural instability (sway ranges of the centre of pressure in medial-lateral direction) fluctuate moderately during menstrual cycles. The main effect of time on hip strength during abduction (A) was moderately decreased (P=0.08) and postural instability (B) was moderately increased (P=0.07).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tennis serve performance moderately correlates with open-eye postural instability among tennis players (A) and not with mood state of female tennis players (B). All time data of elite tennis players were pooled together. Postural instability was measured on a force plate (open-eye sway ranges of the centre of pressure in medial-lateral direction). Mood state was self-reported by total mood disturbance score using the Profile of Mood State.

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