The effect of mental training on muscle damage, stress, and immune response biomarkers in tennis athletes.

Background: The

Aim: of this study is to investigate the effects of a 6-week mental training programme administered to tennis players on creatine kinase, immunoglobulin A, alpha-amylase and aspartate aminotransferase, selected as salivary biomarkers.

Methods: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial using a pre-test-post-test parallel-group

Design: . A total of 20 tennis players were randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 10) or control (n = 10) group. Whilst both groups continued their routine tennis training three days a week, the experimental group additionally underwent the mental training programme three days a week prior to their tennis training sessions. The data were analysed using a Linear Mixed-Effects Model (LMM) to examine the effects of group, time, and the group × time interaction. Post hoc pairwise comparisons were performed using Bonferroni-adjusted tests where appropriate.

Results: The analysis

results indicated that group × time interactions were significant for the parameters creatine kinase, immunoglobulin A, alpha-amylase and aspartate aminotransferase (p 0.05), but significant differences emerged in favour of the experimental group in the post-test (p

Conclusions: This suggests that the experimental group's biomarker responses changed in a different direction and magnitude compared to the control group, and that mental training dynamically modulates physiological adaptation processes. In

Conclusion: , it was determined that a 6-week mental training programme significantly modulated salivary biomarkers associated with muscle damage, immune response and stress response in tennis players. These

Findings: demonstrate that mental training is an effective intervention

Method: that supports not only psychological but also physiological and immunological adaptation in athletes.