{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T05:21:02Z","timestamp":1787721662338,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787702400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Tennis is a psychologically demanding individual sport characterized by high competitive pressure and self-regulatory demands. However, data on depressive symptoms and competitive anxiety in tennis players remain limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms and competitive anxiety in active tennis players and identify demographic and sport-related correlates.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this cross-sectional online survey, 313 active tennis players (mean age 26.9\u202f\u00b1\u202f10.2\u202fyears) completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). Associations between psychological outcomes and demographic and sport-related variables were examined using correlation and regression analyses.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Clinically relevant depressive symptoms were reported by 33.5% of participants. Female athletes reported higher competitive anxiety than male athletes (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.003). Competitive anxiety was positively associated with depressive symptoms (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.119,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.036). A previous diagnosis of depression was the strongest predictor of clinically relevant depressive symptoms (\n                      <jats:italic>OR<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f6.81, 95%\n                      <jats:italic>CI<\/jats:italic>\n                      [2.22, 20.91]). Previous depression diagnosis, recent injury or illness, and psychotropic medication use were associated with greater depressive symptom severity.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Competitive tennis players demonstrated a substantial burden of depressive symptoms and competitive anxiety, with one third of athletes reporting clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Competitive anxiety was associated with depressive symptoms, indicating overlapping aspects of psychological distress. Athletes with a history of depression, recent injury or illness, or psychotropic medication use may represent groups with an increased burden of depressive symptoms and may benefit from closer monitoring. Routine mental health screening, integrated psychological support, and targeted interventions during injury rehabilitation should be considered to promote athlete well-being and reduce persistent psychological distress.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1920866","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T04:51:49Z","timestamp":1787719909000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms and competitive anxiety in tennis players: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Marc","family":"Niering","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School","place":["Hannover, Germany"]},{"name":"Institute of Biomechanics and Neurosciences, Nordic Science","place":["Hannover, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emilia","family":"Richter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Triagon Academy Munich, School of Sports, Psychology and Education","place":["Ismaning, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julius","family":"Riedel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sports Medicine and Health Promotion, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena","place":["Jena, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rainer","family":"Beurskens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health and Social Affairs, FHM Bielefeld - University of Applied Sciences","place":["Bielefeld, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Johanna","family":"Seifert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School","place":["Hannover, Germany"]},{"name":"Institute of Biomechanics and Neurosciences, Nordic Science","place":["Hannover, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1348","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2016-096455","article-title":"Depressive symptoms in high-performance athletes and non-athletes: a comparative meta-analysis","volume":"51","author":"Gorczynski","year":"2017","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"700","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2019-100671","article-title":"Occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"53","author":"Gouttebarge","year":"2019","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1333","DOI":"10.1007\/s40279-016-0492-2","article-title":"The mental health of elite athletes: a narrative systematic review","volume":"46","author":"Rice","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sports Med"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1080\/00913847.2020.1713708","article-title":"The prevalence of depressive symptoms in high-performance athletes: a systematic review","volume":"48","author":"Golding","year":"2020","journal-title":"Phys Sportsmed"},{"key":"ref5","first-page":"490","article-title":"Team sport athletes may be less likely to suffer anxiety or depression than individual sport athletes","volume":"18","author":"Pluhar","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Sports Sci Med"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"722","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2019-100620","article-title":"Determinants of anxiety in elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"53","author":"Rice","year":"2019","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1070","DOI":"10.1080\/1612197X.2022.2099947","article-title":"Lifestyle challenges and mental health of professional tennis players: an exploratory case study","volume":"21","author":"Shrom","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Sport Exerc Psychol"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2237","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare10112237","article-title":"Influence of competition on anxiety and heart rate variability in young tennis players","volume":"10","author":"Garc\u00eda-Gonz\u00e1lvez","year":"2022","journal-title":"Healthcare"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1018139","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.1018139","article-title":"Tennis vs padel: precompetitive anxiety as a function of gender and competitive level","volume":"13","author":"Rodr\u00edguez-Cayetano","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2015-095756","article-title":"Prevalence of clinically elevated depressive symptoms in college athletes and differences by gender and sport","volume":"50","author":"Wolanin","year":"2016","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6130","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20126130","article-title":"Association between musculoskeletal injuries and depressive symptoms among athletes: a systematic review","volume":"20","author":"Marconcin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"806","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.39335.541782.AD","article-title":"Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies","volume":"335","author":"von Elm","year":"2007","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1123\/ijspp.2021-0451","article-title":"Defining training and performance caliber: a participant classification framework","volume":"17","author":"McKay","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Sports Physiol Perform"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1149","DOI":"10.3758\/BRM.41.4.1149","article-title":"Statistical power analyses using G*power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses","volume":"41","author":"Faul","year":"2009","journal-title":"Behav Res Methods"},{"key":"ref15","volume-title":"Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. 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