Investigation of the Effect of Techniques (Drop Shot-Lob- Slice) Not Included in the International Tennis Number (ITN) Test on Match Results in Elite Athletes

Various performance tests are applied to measure the technical competence of the athletes in tennis. One of them is the ITN (International Tennis Number) test. While the forehand, backhand, vole, service and mobility levels of the athletes are measured in the ITN test, the slice, drop shot, and lob techniques that are frequently used in tennis are not within the scope of this test. Although the matches are quite long, every number is important in tennis, where small differences in score determine the result of the match. In this context, in the current study, 24 male and 24 female matches covering all court types (16 hard courts, 16 clay courts, 16 grass courts) were analyzed, and the effects of the techniques not included in the ITN test on the match results were examined. It has been concluded that the development of test batteries covering techniques that are not included in the ITN test, such as slice, drop shot, lob, which are determined to affect the competition performance of elite level athletes, will allow objective evaluations in terms of monitoring the performance of the athlete.