The Effects of Anxiety on the Performance of Tennis and Table Tennis Players

Athletes' performance is influenced by numerous factors, among which anxiety is a significant one. This study investigates the effects of anxiety on the performance of tennis and table tennis players, considering various influencing factors. The scale method, a quantitative research approach, was employed in the study. A total of 186 tennis and table tennis players aged between 8 and 20 years participated, consisting of 113 Boys and 73 Girls players. The Sport Anxiety Scale 2 (SAS-2) was used to collect data. This scale is a 15-item, 3-subdimension, 4-point Likert-type tool. Higher scores on the scale indicate higher levels of anxiety among the participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software, with parametric tests applied due to the normal distribution of the data. Significant differences in sports anxiety levels were found among tennis players based on weekly training frequency and sports age (p<0.05). For table tennis players, a significant difference was observed based on sports age (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were found in sports anxiety levels based on gender, weekly training frequency for table tennis players, or across the two disciplines (p>0.05). The study concludes that sports anxiety does not vary by gender, that the anxiety levels of table tennis and tennis players are similar, and that individuals with greater sports experience tend to exhibit higher levels of sports anxiety