A physiological case study of a paralympic wheelchair tennis player: reflective practise

This study was designed to examine the physiological changescaused by long-term training in a world class female tennisplayer in preparation for a major championship. additionally,we aim to describe the training interventions and determine asuitable cooling strategy that was to be used at the 2004 paralympicgames. the athlete underwent regular physiologicalassessment during 2003–2004. physiological measures involvedbody composition, submaximal and peak oxygen uptake and keyvariables associated with maximal sprinting. in addition, a suitablematch-play cooling intervention and hydration strategy wasalso explored. body composition improved over the course ofthe study. aerobic capacity fell by 21%, yet the submaximalphysiological variables such as lactate profile and pushing economyimproved. the trade off of aerobic capacity was perhapsnoticeably counter-balanced with the maintenance of the peaksprinting speed and improvement found in the fatigue profileacross ten repeated sprints. the extensive training programmewas responsible for these changes and these adaptations resultedin a more confident athlete, in peak physical condition leadinginto the paralympic games. it is difficult to appreciate the extentto which this work had an impact on tennis performance giventhe skill requirements of wheelchair tennis and this warrantsfuture attention.