Are left-handed tennis players more difficult to anticipate? A perceptual cues descriptive approach

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe perceptual cues for tennis serve anticipation on two groups of ex-professional players, both rightand left-handed, with the propose of answering our title question. A bi-dimensional kinematics analysis was used on images from official competitions. The sample consisted of eight players with an average age of 8.15 (s = 4.07) and a best ATP ranking of m = 5.75 (s = 4.33). After applied canonical correlation analysis, the most significant result showed values of Rc = 0.976 for left-handed and Rc = 0.92 for right-handed players. The main conclusion points to the fact that, apart from a less variable technique, left-handed tennis serves demand different perceptual cues for speed when compared to righthanded players.