Sport Events for Sport Participation: A Scoping Review

Development of youth tennis players: A study based on the ranking history of top ATP/WTA players worldwide and China

BACKGROUND

The top 100 ATP/WTA ranking points are a crucial indicator of entry into the high-level world of tennis players, and the number of players from a nation in this ranking reflects the overall level of their tennis. However, the growth time series characteristics of elite tennis athletes are unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine the historical career ranking changes of elite players and provide valuable insights for aspiring young players looking to achieve success in the sport. At the same time, it is of great significance for the efficient and sustainable cultivation of Chinese tennis players.

METHODS

Data on the rankings of 202 players were analyzed, Spearman and Pearson correlations were employed to investigate the association between ranking and time-use patterns. The variance test was utilized to compare disparities in time characteristics of the ranking, with a statistical significance level of p<0.05.

RESULTS

There was a significant correlation between the time of entering the professional tournament ranking system and the ranking, top 100 time, top 100 age, and age of starting tennis. Top 50 ATP players are earlier than those ranked 51-100. There was a significant difference between the age of starting tennis and the time to top 10 among the ATP and WTA players. Chinese female players showed no significant differences compared to their global Top 10 counterparts in terms of time-to-success characteristics.

CONCLUSION

The elite tennis players who achieve success typically start playing and competing in the sport at a young age, with professional competition often commencing around 18 years of age. Notably, these players frequently attain high rankings before reaching the age of 20. Furthermore, top 10 ATP male players tend to start tennis at an earlier age and require a shorter time to achieve a top 10 ranking compared with WTA female players.

The Influence of Small-Scale Sporting Events on Participants’ Intentions to Recommend the Host City

Tourism, including sports tourism, is an important driver of social and economic development. Sports tourism events, and small-scale sporting events in particular, are a powerful resource for promoting tourism in the host city, as a viable way of developing sustainable tourism in the local community. This study aims to analyse the impact of functional quality, outcome quality, satisfaction, and perceived value on intentions to recommend the host city among participants in a small-scale sporting event. A total of 866 runners in a 21-km recreational race participated in this study. A multi-item scale was used and a confirmatory factor analysis of the model was carried out, and the presence of gender differences in the relationships was ascertained using a multigroup analysis. The results revealed a direct effect of functional quality and satisfaction, and an indirect effect of outcome quality and value on intentions to recommend the city. Intention to recommend the city and functional quality showed differences between males and females. In conclusion, managing quality is a key strategy in encouraging participants in small-scale sporting events to recommend the host city.