Tennis singles match play induces inspiratory muscle fatigue in female tennis players

Inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) may limit exercise performance. It has been reported that IMF occurs after various exercises; however, it remains unclear whether IMF occurs after tennis singles match play. The purpose of this study was to test whether tennis singles match play induced IMF. Nine female college tennis players participated in this study. The players were paired in accordance with their skill level, and then played a singles match for an effective playing time (EPT) of 20 minutes. A portable autospirometer was used to measure the maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) before and immediately after the match as an index of IMF. Heart rate and perceptual measurements were recorded after every 2.5 minutes of effective playing time. The total match duration in this study was 96 ± 8 minutes. Post-match MIP was significantly lower than pre-match MIP (103 ± 21 cmH 2 O vs. 92 ± 22 cmH 2 O, p < 0.05, effect size = 0.47), and the magnitude of the decrease in MIP was 10.0 ± 9.7%. The present results show that IMF occurs after tennis singles match play in females.