Injury risk factors in junior tennis players: a prospective 2-year study

The aim was to investigate injury risk factors in junior tennis players. Fifty-five players, 35 boys and 20 girls, answered a questionnaire about training habits, time of exposure, previous injuries and equipment factors. A battery of clinical tests and functional performance tests were also carried out. All tennis-related injuries that occurred during a 2-year period were identified and recorded. An injury was defined as an injury if it was impossible to participate in regular tennis training or playing matches during at least one occasion, a time loss injury. Potential injury risk factors were tested in a forward stepwise logistic regression model for injury. Thirty-nine players sustained totally 100 new and recurrent injuries. Injuries to the lower extremity were the most common ones (51%) followed by the upper extremity (24%) and the trunk (24%). Injured players performed more singles per week (P<0.0001) and played more tennis hours per year (P=0.016) than the uninjured players. Playing tennis more than 6 h/week was found to be a risk factor for back pain. A previous injury regardless of location was identified as an injury risk factor, and a previous injury to the back was a risk factor for back pain.