ABSTRACT

There are many arguments based on medical and/or scientific recommendations which underline the positive effects on health of regular physical activity during life as opposed to the negative effects of a sedentary way of life (Haskel, 1991). If it cannot be denied that a well conducted sporting activity can have beneficial effects (Blair et al., 1992; Marks, 2006), it also cannot be denied that it can carry some risks. The notion of risk is present in any sporting activity, including racket sports, and in most cases, for a given discipline, the probability of occurrence of an injury increases as the intensity of the practice increases on the one hand, and as age increases on the other. A great number of works have already been published about the physiological and biomechanical aspects of different racket sports, mainly in young and/or in elite players. With respect to the induced pathologies, practically all the publications deal with traumatic injuries, i.e. bone, joint, ligament and muscle injuries (Kibler and Chandler, 1994; Petschnig et al., 1997; Pluim, 2004). However, data on cardiovascular events in racket sports and their prevention are relatively scarce (Northcote et al., 1986; Reilly and Halsall, 1994).