I Was an Elite Tennis Athlete; I Played, I Won, I'm Forced and I Left

Abstract

Tennis players may encounter many physical and mental difficulties on the way to becoming a performance athlete by focusing on their careers and having to sacrifice their educational experiences, work opportunities and social lives. While this situation leads to an increase in their tendency to quit sports at an early age, it also shows that there is a need for studies to determine the factors that affect sports behavior. In this direction, the aim of the study is to examine and evaluate the reasons for starting and continuing tennis, the difficulties they encounter as athletes and the reasons for quitting tennis. This research, which was conducted with qualitative methodology, was carried out within the scope of phenomenology pattern. In this study, in which convenience sampling and criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, were used together, a screening was carried out according to the pre-established criteria in the process of determining the participant. In line with these criteria, the study group consists of 22 athletes, male and female, who have played elite tennis in clubs affiliated to the Turkish Tennis Federation and who have quit tennis. From the participants; They were asked to answer questions about the reasons for starting tennis, the reasons for becoming an elite tennis player, the difficulties they encountered while playing tennis, and the reasons for quitting tennis. The data obtained were coded within the framework of questions and sub-questions using descriptive analysis or content analysis, and then themes and sub-themes were determined. As a result, the majority of the participants stated that they started tennis with the support of their parents, they expected to have a reputation/status and to have social/educational opportunities thanks to tennis. In addition, it was concluded that they could not be motivated enough to train-competition due to the lack of knowledge of their trainers and they stopped playing tennis due to permanent injuries, surgical operations and mental fatigue.