LTA application clears way for heart rate monitors to be used in tennis competition for first time

Firstbeat transform heartbeat data into personalised information. Firstbeat Sports is a single-platform athlete-monitoring solution that provides data on training load, intensity, fitness, performance readiness, stress, and recovery.

As well as pushing for its use on tour, the LTA has also made Firstbeat one of a number of technologies available to professional players training at the National Tennis Centre who are part of the LTA’s Player Pathway and receive support through the governing body’s Elite, Pro Scholarship and Men’s & Women’s Programmes.

In addition, earlier this year the LTA became the first tennis national governing body or facility world-wide to install the indoor Catapult “Clear Sky” monitoring system at its national training centre.

Designed to give detailed information on aspects of a player’s movement and physicality, Catapult was used by players across the summer series of behind closed doors events the NTC including the Battle of the Brits tournaments, British Tour and Progress Tour Women’s Championships.

What they said... 

Dan Lewindon, LTA Head of Performance Medicine & Science said: “We are constantly looking to how we can better support and empower our players, coaches and practitioners throughout the LTA Player Pathway, and we’re very pleased that this will be enhanced further through the granting of this application. While a number of other sports have used wearable technology as part of their player preparation for several years, we are really excited to be working at the forefront of this field in tennis.

"Our overall aim is for the National Tennis Centre to continue to be the venue of choice for our best players and their teams to train, and for our experienced Performance team to support players at base and on tour through the use of technology like this. Firstbeat is one of a number of technology partners we are working with to allow us to get a greater understanding of the cardiovascular demands and movement loads in training and matches and crucially the differences therein to help us better physically prepare players.”

Katie Boulter, who is supported by the LTA Pro Scholarship Programme, said: “My team and I work closely with the LTA Performance team and the range of technology I’m able to use through them – both at the NTC and now on tour – is really helpful in terms of learning more about the impact of training and matches on my body. This will be even more valuable when I get back on tour next year.”

Nigel Stockill, UK Performance Director, Firstbeat said: “We are extremely proud to be working with the LTA on this ground-breaking partnership. By collecting Firstbeat data during matches, players and coaches alike will have access to actionable insights into how their body truly responds to match situations and stressors. This information will aid support staff – from coaches and analysts to physiologists – in devising more accurate and relevant training and practice sessions to best prepare world class athletes. Our technology is used across the globe by some of the world’s elite athletes with the aim of helping to optimize performance and recovery and we’re excited to help British tennis players do the same.”

The LTA has put in place a 10-year performance strategy to develop and support the next generation of elite players, as one of the main pillars of its vision to open up tennis to many more people. When combined with the introduction of the new LTA Youth grassroots programme, it means for the first time there is now a clear pathway in place for every age and stage of a player’s development from first picking up a racket through to competing against the world’s best players.