Mental fatigue impairs padel-specific psychomotor performance in youth-elite male players

While the interest and professionalization of padel around the world, and the importance of mental fatigue in sport science literature are both on the rise, not much is known about how mental fatigue impacts padel-specific performance. Forty-eight male elite youth players (18 ± 2 y) participated in this randomized counterbalanced crossover study. The players visited the laboratory on three separate occasions: familiarization, control (i.e., 30-min documentary), and mental fatigue (i.e., 30-min incongruent Stroop) condition. The participants' perceived mental fatigue, vigilance (i.e., Psychomotor Vigilance Test) and response inhibition (i.e., Stroop task) were assessed as markers of mental fatigue. The Padel accuracy was evaluated using a validated padel-specific performance task that includes the usage of different strokes (i.e., drive, drive volley, bandeja, and drive attack after the use of the glass). All these variables were assessed pre- and post- both the control and mentally fatiguing task. A condition × time interaction was found for perceived mental fatigue, the Stroop performance and PVT reaction time (p < 0.001) and for padel-specific accuracy on all strokes (p < 0.001). The perceived level of mental fatigue increased, while PVT reaction time and Stroop performance (i.e., amount of words) were impaired in time only in the mental fatigue condition. The accuracy of all padel strokes was significantly impaired from pre to post only in the mental fatigue condition (p < 0.050). In conclusion, mental fatigue impairs padel-specific accuracy in young elite male padel players. Consequently, we recommend coaches to consider the level of mental fatigue during padel trainings and competitions.