Impact of Lower Limb Asymmetries on Physical Performance among Adolescent Female Tennis Players

This study aimed to determine the correlation between inter-limb asymmetries and physical per-formance metrics in adolescent female tennis players. Methods: Twenty-five female tennis players (age: 13.29 ± 0.98 years; weight: 52.52 ± 7.31 kg; height: 162.91 ± 6.02 cm) consented to participate in the study. Performance was evaluated using various variables, including bilateral and unilat-eral countermovement jump (CMJ), bilateral and unilateral horizontal jump (HJ), 180º change of direction (180COD) conducted with both the right and left legs, and a 20-m sprint. The systematic bias was evaluated by one-way repeated measures analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation test for relationships between variables, and the kappa coefficient for consistency in the asymmetry direction. Results Significant relationships were found between CMJ Asymmetry and the varia-bles HJR (r=-0.47) and HJL (r=-0.44). In addition, significant relationships were found between HJ Asymmetry and the variables CMJR (r=-0.60) and CMJL (r=-0.54), HJR (r=-0.64), HJL (r=-0.67), CMJ (r=-0.55) and HJ (r=-0.52). Conclusion Jumping tests are important indicators of performance loss in female tennis players. In addition, no significant correlation was found be-tween the 180COD and performance tests, suggesting that asymmetries in COD do not affect jump performance or speed. Based on these results, it is recommended to integrate individualized pro-grams for each athlete to reduce asymmetries.