Real-Life Application of a Wearable Device towards Injury Prevention in Tennis: A Single-Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the use of a previously validated wearable sensor device, Armbeep, in a real-life application, to enhance a tennis player’s training by monitoring and analysis of the time, physiological, movement, and tennis-specific workload and recovery indicators, based on fused sensor data acquired by the wearable sensor—a miniature wearable sensor device, designed to be worn on a wrist, that can detect and record movement and biometric information, where the basic signal processing is performed directly on the device, while the more complex signal analysis is performed in the cloud. The inertial measurements and pulse-rate detection of the wearable device were validated previously, showing acceptability for monitoring workload and recovery during tennis practice and matches. This study is one of the first attempts to monitor the daily workload and recovery of tennis players under real conditions. Based on these data, we can instruct the coach and the player to adjust the daily workload. This optimizes the level of an athlete’s training load, increases the effectiveness of training, enables an individual approach, and reduces the possibility of overuse or injuries. This study is a practical example of the use of modern technology in the return of injured athletes to normal training and competition. This information will help tennis coaches and players to objectify their workloads during training and competitions, as this is usually only an intuitive assessment.