EXPLORING THE PERCEPTIONS AND UTILIZATION OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN TENNIS COACHING: INSIGHTS FROM HIGH-PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIAN COACHES

Abstract

Innovation plays a crucial role in elite sports, including tennis, where technological advancements have significantly impacted the competition environment (e.g.,Hawkeye), equipment (e.g., racquet development), and training (e.g., SwingVision). However, the progress made in enhancing mental resilience and skill acquisition practices in tennis has not kept pace with these other areas. Virtual reality (VR) training and its advancements have been consistently evolving over the past decade in commercial, research, and sport settings, including the realm of tennis. Despite the existence of VR tennis programs, the reasons for the technology not being integrated into training or tournament environments at the sub-elite and elite levels remain unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the opinions and knowledge of high-performance tennis coaches regarding VR. The results revealed that 50% coaches had personal experience with VR, which 39% had experience with VR-tennis specifically. Limited technological capabilities of VR-tennis emerged as a consistent barrier for elite level athletes. Moreover, coaches highlighted limitations such as high costs and limited real-time manipulations, which further hinder the adoption of VR in tennis. The viewpoints shared by coaches in this study can assist future VR companies in finding ways to access the elite tennis market, provide guidance to coaches interested in incorporating VR into their coaching methods, and foster the development of new practices for mental and motor skill learning through VR innovations.