SavedAdd your journal

Journals / CBÜ Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 21 Sayı: 2

Does Acute Mental Fatigue Affect Service Performance in Recreational Tennis Players?

Aysu Önal(GAZI UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-1140-832X
Mustafa Nurullah Kadı(GAZI UNIVERSITY)0000-0001-5982-9890
Gökhan Deliceoğlu(GAZI UNIVERSITY)0000-0001-8650-3538
Pages
284–298
Publication Date
2026-07-31
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

According to this study, disconnecting from social media for at least 10 minutes before starting a workout was effective in maintaining performance.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mental fatigue (MF) on service performance and recovery time in recreational tennis players.
📊
Key Findings & Data:A total of 57 recreational tennis players participated in this research (male= 26, female= 31).
💡
Conclusion & Impact:According to this study, disconnecting from social media for at least 10 minutes before starting a workout was effective in maintaining performance.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Mental fatigue · Tennis · Service

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mental fatigue (MF) on service performance and recovery time in recreational tennis players. A total of 57 recreational tennis players participated in this research (male= 26, female= 31). This study included four groups: the control group, 0-minute group, 10-minute group, and 20-minute group. Except for the control group, the other three groups used Instagram for 30 minutes before the test . These groups were formed based on the tennis players' waiting times after MF. The service test was performed immediately in the 0-minute group, after a 10-minute rest period in the 10-minute group, and after a 20-minute rest period in the 20-minute group. A randomized controlled experimental design was used in the study. A dependent-samples t-test was used to compare the means of the first and second services. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare group means. The alpha value was determined to be 0.05. In the 0-minute group, a significant difference was observed between the first- and second-service scores (p < 0.001). A significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the 0-minute group and all other groups . Spending 30 minutes on social media caused MF, which lowered the service scores of recreational tennis players. In this study, mental recovery began after a 10-minute break from Instagram. According to this study, disconnecting from social media for at least 10 minutes before starting a workout was effective in maintaining performance.

🔖

Cite This Article

Önal, A., Kadı, M. N., Deliceoğlu, G. (2026). Does Acute Mental Fatigue Affect Service Performance in Recreational Tennis Players?. CBÜ Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 21 Sayı: 2, 284–298. https://doi.org/10.33459/cbubesbd.1661069

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (60)

  1. Ackerman, P. L., & Kanfer, R. (2009). Test length and cognitive fatigue: An empirical examination of effects on performance and test-taker reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology Applied, 15(2), 163-181. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015719
  2. Allen, D. G., Lamb, G. D., & Westerblad, H. (2008). Skeletal muscle fatigue: Cellular mechanisms. Physiological Reviews, 88(1), 287-332. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00015.2007
  3. Badin, O. O., Smith, M. R., Conte, D., & Coutts, A. J. (2016). Mental fatigue: Impairment of technical performance in small-sided soccer games. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 11(8), 1100-1105. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2015-0710
  4. Boksem, M. A., Meijman, T. F., & Lorist, M. M. (2005). Effects of mental fatigue on attention: An ERP study. Cognitive Brain Research, 25(1), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.04.011
  5. Boksem, M. A., & Tops, M. (2008). Mental fatigue: Costs and benefits. Brain Research Reviews, 59(1), 125-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresrev.2008.07.001
  6. Brownsberger, J., Edwards, A., Crowther, R., & Cottrell, D. (2013). Impact of mental fatigue on self-paced exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 34(12), 1029-1036. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0033-1343402
  7. Chang, A. M., Aeschbach, D., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(4), 1232-1237. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112
  8. Chellappa, S. L., Gaggioni, G., Ly, J. Q., Papachilleos, S., Borsu, C., Brzozowski, A., Rosanova, M., Sarasso, S., Luxen, A., Middleton, B., Archer, S. N., Dijk, D. J., Massimini, M., Maquet, P., Phillips, C., Moran, R. J., & Vandewalle, G. (2016). Circadian dynamics in measures of cortical excitation and inhibition balance. Scientific Reports, 6, Article 33661. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33661
  9. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2. ed.). Erbaum.
  10. Demandsage. (2025). Instagram statistics. https://www.demandsage.com/instagram-statistics Access date: 20.08.2025
  11. Di Giulio, C., Daniele, F., & Tipton, C. M. (2006). Angelo Mosso and muscular fatigue: 116 Years after the first congress of physiologists: IUPS commemoration. Advances in Physiology Education, 30(2), 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00041.2005
  12. Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
  13. Dorris, D. C., Power, D. A., & Kenefick, E. (2012). Investigating the effects of ego depletion on physical exercise routines of athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13(2), 118-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2011.10.004
  14. Filipas, L., Rossi, C., Codella, R., & Bonato, M. (2024). Mental fatigue impairs second serve accuracy in tennis players. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 95(1), 190-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2023.2174488
  15. Fortes, L. D., Lima-Júnior, D. D., Nascimento-Júnior, J. R., Costa, E. C., Matta, M. D., & Ferreira, M. E. (2019). Effect of exposure time to smartphone apps on passing decision-making in male soccer athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 44, 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.05.001
  16. Fortes, L. S., De Lima-Junior, D., Fiorese, L., Nascimento-Junior, J. R. A., Mortatti, A. L., & Ferreira, M. E. C. (2020). The effect of smartphones and playing video games on decision-making in soccer players: A crossover and randomised study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(5), 552-558. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1715181
  17. Gandevia, S. C. (2001). Spinal and supraspinal factors in human muscle fatigue. Physiological Reviews, 81(4), 1725-1789. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.2001.81.4.1725
  18. Giboin, L.-S., & Wolff, W. (2019). The effect of ego depletion or mental fatigue on subsequent physical endurance performance: A meta-analysis. Performance Enhancement & Health, 7(1-2), Article 100150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2019.100150
  19. Gonzaga Ados, S., Albuquerque, M. R., Malloy-Diniz, L. F., Greco, P. J., & Teoldo da Costa, I. (2014). Affective decision-making and tactical behavior of under-15 soccer players. PloS One, 9(6), Article e101231. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101231
  20. Grier, R. A., Warm, J. S., Dember, W. N., Matthews, G., Galinsky, T. L., Szalma, J. L., & Parasuraman, R. (2003). The vigilance decrement reflects limitations in effortful attention, not mindlessness. Human Factors, 45(3), 349-359. https://doi.org/10.1518/hfes.45.3.349.27253
  21. Guo, Z., Chen, R., Liu, X., Zhao, G., Zheng, Y., Gong, M., & Zhang, J. (2018). The impairing effects of mental fatigue on response inhibition: An ERP study. PloS One, 13(6), Article e0198206. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198206
  22. Habay, J., Uylenbroeck, R., Van Droogenbroeck, R., De Wachter, J., Proost, M., Tassignon, B., De Pauw, K., Meeusen, R., Pattyn, N., Van Cutsem, J., & Roelands, B. (2023). Interindividual variability in mental fatigue-related impairments in endurance performance: A systematic review and multiple meta-regression. Sports Medicine - Open, 9(1), Article 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00559-7
  23. Habay, J., Van Cutsem, J., Verschueren, J., De Bock, S., Proost, M., De Wachter, J., Tassignon, B., Meeusen, R., & Roelands, B. (2021). Mental fatigue and sport-specific psychomotor performance: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 51(7), 1527-1548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01429-6
  24. Head, J., Tenan, M. S., Tweedell, A. J., LaFiandra, M. E., Morelli, F., Wilson, K. M., Ortega, S. V., & Helton, W. S. (2017). Prior mental fatigue impairs marksmanship decision performance. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, Article 680. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00680
  25. Helton, W. S., & Russell, P. N. (2011). Feature absence–presence and two theories of lapses of sustained attention. Psychological Research, 75(5), 384-392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-010-0316-1
  26. Heo, J.-Y., Kim, K., Fava, M., Mischoulon, D., Papakostas, G. I., Kim, M.-J., Kim, D. J., Chang, K.-A. J., Oh, Y., & Yu, B.-H. (2017). Effects of smartphone use with and without blue light at night in healthy adults: A randomized, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled comparison. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 87, 61-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.12.010
  27. Holgado, D., Sanabria, D., Perales, J. C., & Vadillo, M. A. (2021). Correction: Mental fatigue might be not so bad for exercise performance after all: A systematic review and bias-sensitive meta-analysis. Journal of Cognition, 4(1), Article 32. https://doi.org/10.5334/joc.178
  28. Holtzer, R., Shuman, M., Mahoney, J. R., Lipton, R., & Verghese, J. (2010). Cognitive fatigue defined in the context of attention networks. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 18(1), 108-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2010.517826
  29. Ishihara, T., Drollette, E. S., Ludyga, S., Hillman, C. H., & Kamijo, K. (2021). The effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 128, 258-269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.026
  30. Jacobson, J., & Matthaeus, L. (2014). Athletics and executive functioning: How athletic participation and sport type correlate with cognitive performance. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15(5), 521-527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.05.005
  31. Knicker, A. J., Renshaw, I., Oldham, A. R., & Cairns, S. P. (2011). Interactive processes link the multiple symptoms of fatigue in sport competition. Sports Medicine, 41(4), 307-328. https://doi.org/10.2165/11586070-000000000-00000
  32. Koo, T. K., & Li, M. Y. (2016). A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 15(2), 155-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012
  33. Kuroda, Y., Ishihara, T., & Mizuno, M. (2023). Association between perceived exertion and executive functions with serve accuracy among male university tennis players: A pilot study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1007928. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1007928
  34. Le Mansec, Y., Pageaux, B., Nordez, A., Dorel, S., & Jubeau, M. (2018). Mental fatigue alters the speed and the accuracy of the ball in table tennis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(23), 2751-2759. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2017.1418647
  35. Li, G., Huang, S., Xu, W., Jiao, W., Jiang, Y., Gao, Z., & Zhang, J. (2020). The Impact of mental fatigue on brain activity: A comparative study both in resting state and task state using EEG. BMC Neuroscience, 21(1), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-020-00569-1
  36. Lopes, T. R., Oliveira, D. M., Simurro, P. B., Akiba, H. T., Nakamura, F. Y., Okano, A. H., Dias, A. M., & Silva, B. M. (2020). No sex difference in mental fatigue effect on high-level runners' aerobic performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 52(10), 2207-2216. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002346
  37. Ma, S. M., Liu, C. C., Tan, Y., & Ma, S. C. (2013). Winning matches in grand slam men's singles: An analysis of player performance-related variables from 1991 to 2008. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(11), 1147-1155. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2013.775472
  38. MacMahon, C., Schucker, L., Hagemann, N., & Strauss, B. (2014). Cognitive fatigue effects on physical performance during running. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 36(4), 375-381. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2013-0249
  39. Marcora, S. M., Staiano, W., & Manning, V. (2009). Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 106(3), 857-864. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.91324.2008
  40. Martin, K., Meeusen, R., Thompson, K. G., Keegan, R., & Rattray, B. (2018). Mental fatigue impairs endurance performance: A physiological explanation. Sports Medicine, 48(9), 2041-2051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0946-9
  41. Martin, K., Staiano, W., Menaspa, P., Hennessey, T., Marcora, S., Keegan, R., Thompson, K. G., Martin, D., Halson, S., & Rattray, B. (2016). Superior inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue in professional road cyclists. PloS One, 11(7), Article e0159907. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159907
  42. Meeusen, R., Van Cutsem, J., & Roelands, B. (2021). Endurance exercise-induced and mental fatigue and the brain. Experimental Physiology, 106(12), 2294-2298. https://doi.org/10.1113/EP088186
  43. Missenard, O., Mottet, D., & Perrey, S. (2009). Adaptation of motor behavior to preserve task success in the presence of muscle fatigue. Neuroscience, 161(3), 773-786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.03.062
  44. Pageaux, B., Marcora, S. M., Rozand, V., & Lepers, R. (2015). Mental fatigue induced by prolonged self-regulation does not exacerbate central fatigue during subsequent whole-body endurance exercise. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, Article 67. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00067
  45. Penna, E. M., Filho, E., Wanner, S. P., Campos, B. T., Quinan, G. R., Mendes, T. T., Smith, M. R., & Prado, L. S. (2018). Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in young swimmers. Pediatric Exercise Science, 30(2), 208-215. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2017-0128
  46. Reid, M., Crespo, M., & Santilli, L. (2009). Importance of the ITF Junior Girls' Circuit in the development of women professional tennis players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(13), 1443-1448. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410903037714
  47. Rozand, V., Lebon, F., Papaxanthis, C., & Lepers, R. (2015). Effect of mental fatigue on speed-accuracy trade-off. Neuroscience, 297, 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.03.066
  48. Salam, H., Marcora, S. M., & Hopker, J. G. (2018). The effect of mental fatigue on critical power during cycling exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(1), 85-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3747-1
  49. Salihu, A. T., Hill, K. D., & Jaberzadeh, S. (2022). Neural mechanisms underlying state mental fatigue: A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 33(8), 889-917. https://doi.org/10.1515/revneuro-2022-0023
  50. Schücker, L., & MacMahon, C. (2016). Working on a cognitive task does not influence performance in a physical fitness test. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 25, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2016.03.002
  51. Smith, M. R., Coutts, A. J., Merlini, M., Deprez, D., Lenoir, M., & Marcora, S. M. (2016). Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific physical and technical performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 48(2), 267-276. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000762
  52. Smith, M. R., Marcora, S. M., & Coutts, A. J. (2015). Mental fatigue impairs intermittent running performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 47(8), 1682-1690. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000592
  53. Statista. (2025). Most Instagram users worldwide by country. https://www.statista.com/statistics Access date: 20.08.2025
  54. Sun, H., Soh, K. G., Roslan, S., Wazir, M., & Soh, K. L. (2021). Does mental fatigue affect skilled performance in athletes? A systematic review. PloS One, 16(10), Article e0258307. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258307
  55. Thompson, C. J., Smith, A., Coutts, A. J., Skorski, S., Datson, N., Smith, M. R., & Meyer, T. (2022). Understanding the presence of mental fatigue in elite female football. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 93(3), 504-515. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2021.1873224
  56. Van Cutsem, J., De Pauw, K., Vandervaeren, C., Marcora, S., Meeusen, R., & Roelands, B. (2019). Mental fatigue impairs visuomotor response time in badminton players and controls. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 45, Article 101579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101579
  57. Van Cutsem, J., Marcora, S., De Pauw, K., Bailey, S., Meeusen, R., & Roelands, B. (2017). The effects of mental fatigue on physical performance: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 47(8), 1569-1588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0672-0
  58. Vestberg, T., Gustafson, R., Maurex, L., Ingvar, M., & Petrovic, P. (2012). Executive functions predict the success of top-soccer players. PloS One, 7(4), Article e34731. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034731
  59. Vitale, J. A., Bonato, M., Petrucci, L., Zucca, G., La Torre, A., & Banfi, G. (2021). Acute sleep restriction affects sport-specific but not athletic performance in junior tennis players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(8), 1154-1159. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2020-0390
  60. Walsh, V. (2014). Is sport the brain's biggest challenge? Current Biology: CB, 24(18), Article R859-R860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.003