Influence of Competition on Anxiety and Heart Rate Variability in Young Tennis Players

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of competition on anxiety and heart rate variability (HRV) in tennis players. Thirty tennis players (15 boys and 15 girls) were included in the study. In boys, the mean age was 14.53 years, mean height was 169.20 cm and mean weight was 60.60 kg. In girls, the mean age was 13.60 years, mean height was 164.07 cm and mean weight was 53.33 kg. Competitive anxiety was measured using the Competitive Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). HRV was also analyzed using a validated HR chest band (Polar H7). These measurements were performed at two different times, before training and before competing, both times maintaining the same conditions for the participants. In addition, a gender differentiation was carried out. Somatic anxiety and state anxiety were significantly higher at the pre-competition time compared to the pre-training time (p < 0.05). On the contrary, the rest of the variables did not present significant differences between conditions (p > 0.05). On the other hand, no correlation was observed between anxiety and heart rate variability either before competition or before training. As for gender differentiation, significant differences were obtained between males and females in state anxiety and heart rate, identifying higher values in females.