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1 Deakin Research Online This is the published version: Young, Janet A. and Pearce, Alan J. 2009, Attributes of champion female tennis players and challenges faced by aspirants, Medicine and science in tennis, vol. 14, no. 2, pp Available from Deakin Research Online: Reproduced with the kind permissions of the copyright owner. Copyright : 2009, Society of Tennis Medicine and Science

2 Original Research Janet A. Young, Alan J. Pearce J Med Sci Tennis 2009; 14(2):16-19 Attributes of Female Tennis Champions and Challenges faced by Aspirants As part of a larger study on talent development in tennis 1, ten Australian top ranked Australian female professional tennis players responded to a questionnaire about the attributes of a champion recalling the major challenges faced in pursuing a tennis career and strategies adopted to address these challenges. To analyse the data, a series of three inductive content analyses were conducted. The results highlighted the importance of psychological attributes and skills in a player s journey to become a champion. The study s implications for coaches and sport psychologists are also highlighted. Key words: psychological attributes, psychological skills, tennis champion Introduction Unravelling the profile of elite and successful athletes has been of special interest to sport psychologists for many years. Notwithstanding the progress to date, researchers continue to seek a fuller understanding of the characteristics that distinguish these athletes from others facilitating sport excellence. In a recent review of the literature, Krane and Williams 2 identified a set of characteristics associated with elite athletes to include: highly confident, total commitment, cope well with stress and distractions, controlled emotions, strong performance focus and well developed competitive goals and plans. These characteristics virtually parallel those proposed by Jones, Hanton and Connaughton 3 as the attributes of the ideal mentally tough performer in their study of ten international standard athletes. Consistent findings of a critical set of psychological characteristics associated with elite and successful athletes have also been found in studies with ten US Olympic champions 4 and ten Canadian Olympic and World champions. 5 Such research findings raise the question, are tennis champions similar in possessing a set of characteristics that embrace commitment, dedication, mental toughness and ability to pursue a dream? In her pioneering tennis talent development research with eighteen top ranked US players, Monaas 6 investigated the qualities players considered important to be a champion. Critical identified qualities were determination and willingness to work hard and extreme competitiveness (players hated to lose and this increased the players motivation to put them in long hours on the practice court). In further findings, players described the challenges they faced in pursuing their dreams to include those of long and hard hours of practice, the loneliness of life on the road and the difficulty of maintaining friendships. Given it is now over thirty years since Monaas s 6 research, the purpose of this study was to re-examine the attributes of, and challenges facing, champions with a gender-specific study of Australian female professional tennis players. Specifically, this study sought an understanding of players perceptions of: (a) what makes a female tennis champion; (b) what major challenges have they faced in pursuing their tennis career; and, (c) how they have managed these challenges. Method Participants Ten top ranked Australian female professional tennis players participated in the study. At the time of the study, players had a mean age of 24.3±2 years, held a SonyEricssonWTA singles ranking (range 159 to 837) and were competing on the Women s Tennis Association (WTA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) women s circuits. Junior players were excluded from the study. 16

3 Materials Participants completed a self-report instrument (questionnaire) that was developed for the purposes of the study. Given the exploratory nature of the study, the instrument consisted primarily of qualitative measures (n=3) asking participants to describe what makes a champion female tennis player, the major challenges they had faced in pursuing their tennis career and how they had managed these challenges. Procedure Following ethical approval from the University Human Research Ethics Committee, a questionnaire and information sheet were ed, and a hard copy mailed, to Australia s top ranked SonyEriccson singles players (n=10) to addresses provided by Tennis Australia. Participants were advised that participation in the study was voluntary, no identification of individuals was required and confidentiality of responses was paramount. The value of the study to the tennis community and an estimation of the time required to complete the questionnaire were described. If a player was unable or unwilling to participate in the study, the next top ranked Australia player was contacted. The researchers subsequently met with several participants at Melbourne Park Tennis Centre to respond to queries and get additional details when required, on participants responses. Data Analysis To analyse the qualitative data, a series of three inductive content analyses of participants descriptions were conducted. In a popular procedure modelled on Patton s 7 recommendations for such analyses, key words, statements or phrases (referred to as raw data themes ) were identified in participants descriptions. Raw data themes sharing explicitly similar meanings were subsequently grouped into higher order (general) dimensions. All steps in the inductive content analyses were scrutinised by a member of the Australian College of Sport Psychologists who was knowledgeable in qualitative research methods. Any discrepancies between the external checker and the researchers in the identification and organisation of raw data themes, and subsequent grouping of higher order themes, were discussed. Discrepancies were consensually validated by the three analysts 7 and the findings of the content analyses tabled. Results Attributes of Champion Female Tennis Players Participants responses to what makes a female tennis champion are presented in Table 1. Table 1 illustrates that themes relating to psychological characteristics (n=32) comprise 66.7% of all raw data themes (n=48). Table 1. Attributes of Female Tennis Champions Attributes 1. Psychological Characteristics 1.1 Mental toughness Mentally strong (2) Mental toughness Consistency week in week out Competitive edge Enjoys the challenge Resilient They find a way 1.2 Commitment Determination (2) Dedication Discipline Commitment Hard work Good work ethic Willing to work hard on hardest day Makes most of every situation 1.3 Motivation Desire (2) Passion Want it badly enough 1.4 Self-belief and Confidence Confidence (2) Self-belief (4) 1.5 General Aggression 1. The 3 levels of listing represent the 3 stages of the inductive content analysis, i.e., Major Challenges Participants responses to the major challenges they had faced in pursuing their tennis career are presented in Table 2. Table 2 illustrates that themes relating to psychological considerations (n=10) comprise 45.5% of all raw data themes (n=24). Managing Challenges Participants responses of strategies adopted to manage challenges are listed in Table 3. Discussion This study found strong evidence to support the critical importance of psychological characteristics and skills for elite Australian female professional tennis players. Without Good sportsmanship Honesty Acknowledgement Carefree attitude 2. Physical Abilities Fitness Physically strong Fit Athletic (2) Strong No injuries 3. Technical Abilities Ball striking abilities Solid game base 4. Support Family support Financial support 5. Overall Talent Combination of psychological, physical and technical attributes Talent all-round on court 6. Knowledge Knows about historical and other aspects of game 7. Miscellaneous Intellectually simple Simple minded 1.1. Higher Order Theme Raw Data Themes. 17

4 Table 2. Major Challenges faced by Players in Pursuing a Tennis Career Major Challenges 1. Psychological 1.1 Commitment Finding consistency to do things on a daily basis Tennis being a long season with lots of ups and downs Being confident in what chosen to do and spend life (knowing may not succeed) 1.2 Setbacks Dealing with tough losses (2) Not achieving expected results 1.3 Self-image Developing positive self-image Realising tennis does not define me 1.4 Self-belief Self-belief 1.5 Stress Health issues due to pressures of sport 1. The 3 levels of listing represent the 3 stages of the inductive content analysis, i.e., 1. Psychological Skills 2.1 Education and Training Read lots on psychology Did courses on psychology, emotional health etc See sport psychologist 2.2 Love the challenge Try to enjoy it Love what doing 2.3 Perspective Fresh perspective that everything will be okay Persistence Got more determined 2.4 Self-reflection Observe how lost matches and work on specific things in practice 2.5 Resilience Work when injured 2. Travel Lack of travel playing tournaments, especially overseas Sacrifice not being with friends Travelling alone Travel Being away from home for long periods 3. Fitness/Injuries Lack of training Injuries (2) 4. Financial Financial support Equipment/apparel support Financial 5. Coaches My coaches have not been coaching for right reasons 6. Miscellaneous Late start in tennis 1.1. Higher Order Theme Raw Data Themes. Table 3. Strategies Players Adopted to Manage Challenges faced in Pursuing a Tennis Career Strategies 2. Support Team Found support team to keep me on track With love and unconditional support from parents, family, friends and others involved in my career Talked through issue with family and friends 3. Fitness Program Work on fitness Listened to body (to prevent and monitor injuries) Improve fitness and rehab conditioning program 4. Scheduling Played well in Australia to keep good ranking any prompting, players nominated psychological factors as the most important attributes of champion female tennis players and psychological skills as the important strategies to address challenges (most of which are psychological) faced in pursuing a tennis career. These findings will now be examined in further detail. The study s findings of the importance of psychological characteristics mental toughness, commitment, motivation, self-belief and confidence - are not surprising. Actually, these findings are consistent with profiles of other highly successful athletes across a range of sports 2,3,4,5. What is somewhat surprising is the relative importance attributed to these characteristics in relation to physical, technical and other skills. This has implications for today s tennis coach who no longer can simply be a source of tennis knowledge and technique but rather needs to be mindful of the opportunity, and responsibility, to instil certain values such as hard work, discipline, fun, passion, tenacity and perseverance 8. In terms of challenges faced by players in pursuing a tennis career, some of these have not changed since Monaas s 6 study. Life on the circuit is not all glamour and adulation but rather can often be a lonely one with extended periods away from family and friends. Extending Monaas s findings, this study identifies other difficulties faced by some players to include maintaining a player s commitment, confidence and positive self-image and dealing with setbacks. To address such psychological challenges, players reported a range of psychological skills or strategies they adopt that include seeking information on psychological issues, receiving sport psychology counselling, adopting a fresh perspective and undertaking self-reflection. As such, this study s findings emphasise the critical role of the thinking side in tennis. It is not only of significant importance what a player thinks while on the court, but also what players think off the court. As such, a strong psyche is of considerable advantage to players. While some psychological characteristics and skills are thought to be caught (socialised), some of them can also be taught (coached). 2,3 To this end, both tennis coaches and sport psychologists have roles to play. Interested readers may wish to refer to Young s 8 guidelines for coaches as a starting point for strategies that can be adopted in working with players to improve their mental toughness. In summary, this study adds to the body of knowledge of what it takes to be a champion female tennis player in its identification of psychological attributes and skills required to meet the inevitable challenges to achieve excellence. A strength of the study was the participation of an information-rich group of elite players. However, like all investigations, this study has limitations given only ten players from one country were investigated adopting a retrospective approach (subjecting results to possible attribution effects and memory bias). In term of future 1. The 3 levels of listing represent the 3 stages of the inductive content analysis, i.e., 1.1. Higher Order Theme Raw Data Themes.

5 research directions, researchers may wish to explore what it takes to be a champion male player, thereby providing a basis for comparison across male and female professional tennis players. Acknowledgements This research was supported by a Victoria University TAFE Research Grant. References 1. Young, JA, Pearce, AJ. Factors influencing the identification and development of Australian female tennis talent. Proceedings 2008 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport, Guangzhou: China, 2008: Williams JM, Krane V. Psychological characteristics of peak performance. In Williams JM (ed.). Applied Sport psychology: personal growth to peak performance (4th ed). Mountain View: Mayfield, 2001: Jones JG, Hanton S, Connaughton D. What is this thing called mental toughness? An investigation of elite performers. Journal Appl Sport Psychol 2002;14: Durand-Bush N, Salmela, JH. The development and maintenance of expert athletic performance: Perceptions of World and Olympic champions. Journal Appl Sport Psychol 2002; 14: Gould D, Dieffenback K, Moffett A. Psychological characteristics and their development in Olympic Champions. Journal App Sport Psychol 2002;14: Good Reasons 5to Publish with 6. Monsaas JA. Learning to be a world-class tennis player. In Bloom BS (ed.). The development of talent in young people. New York: Ballantine, 1985: Patton MQ. Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Beverly Hills: Sage, Young JA. Coach, can you help me to be mentally tough? ITF Coaching Sport Sci Rev 2008;44:2-4. Dr Janet A Young. B.Com., BA (Hons), PhD, MAPS Dr Janet A Young is a lecturer in the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Victoria University and also conducts a sports psychology practice based in Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests in tennis are mental toughness, flow and talent development. Tennis Australia and the International Hall of Fame recently honoured Dr Young for her contributions to Australian Tennis. Dr Alan J Pearce, PhD. Alan Pearce is an academic and sports scientist with a passion for racket sports. He gained his PhD in Neurophysiology at the University of Western Australia in Dr Pearce is a young investigator but has published in well recognised journals. He also has extensive coaching and physical preparation experience in working with elite racket sport athletes, particularly in tennis and badminton. journal of medicine and science in tennis About the author Publish with Medicine and Science in Tennis and benefit from: 1) Institutional Support: Medicine and Science in Tennis is published on behalf of the Society for Tennis Medicine and Science (STMS). Founded in 1991, the STMS s mission is to disseminate current and practical tennisrelated medical and scientific information to all our stakeholders (players, coaches, health care professionals, scientists, and tennis organizations) in order to optimize the health and performance of tennis players world-wide. 2) Reaching the market: Medicine and Science in Tennis is produced in co-operation with the largest tennis international organizations: ITF, the ATP and the WTA. Almost every person involved in tennis is in contact with these leader organizations. 3) International Scope: since Tennis is a truly global sport the Medicine and Science in Tennis is strongly committed to publishing contributions from all regions of the world, thereby promoting international communication among doctors and scientists with similar interests. 4) Peer-Review process: Medicine and Science in Tennis is an international peer reviewed journal that adheres to a rigorous reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are concealed from both parties. 5) Longevity of Content: Medicine and Science in Tennis is a leading journal in the field with a history spanning over 14 years of ground-breaking contributions to Tennis Medicine and Science research, with insightful papers covering a wide range of areas across several disciplines with a broad international appeal. Visit our website and search for Authors Guidelines. 19