Mers, Joris (2024) The Forecast of Victory: Mental Toughness as a Predictor of Future Tennis Success. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Mental toughness is increasingly recognized as a critical psychological attribute influencing athletic performance across various sport disciplines. This study aimed to explore the predictive value of mental toughness on future tennis performance and investigate whether this relationship is mediated by cognitive anxiety. The sample consisted of 171 young Dutch tennis players (13.1 ± 2.1 years old). During the 2017-2018 tennis season, mental toughness and cognitive anxiety were assessed by the Mental Toughness Questionnaire-48 and Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, respectively. Tennis performance was operationalized using tennis ratings from the 2022-2023 season. Lower ratings represented better performance. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between mental toughness and future tennis rating. Additionally, regression analysis confirmed mental toughness as significant predictor of future tennis rating, accounting for 9.06% of variance when controlling for age. However, no significant effect was found for the mediator role of cognitive anxiety. Exploratory findings suggest the variance in future tennis rating is best explained by the subscales life control and confidence in ability. These findings underscore the importance of mental toughness in predicting future tennis success. The study contributes to the understanding of the effects of mental toughness and has implication for talent selection and psychological skills training among athletes.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Huijgen, B.C.H. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Jul 2024 14:04 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Jul 2024 14:04 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3760 |
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