Influence of player level on the relationship between stress control and tactical ability in tennis players

Introduction: Tennis is one of the most widely practiced sports in the world, making it essential to understand the factors that contribute to optimal performance. among these, psychological and tactical components play a particularly relevant role under pressure.Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between stress management and tactical ability in tennis players, as well as the moderating role of the level of play.Methodology: A total of 253 federated tennis players from different spanish clubs participated. validated questionnaires were used to assess stress control and tactical skills. hierarchical re-gression analysis was conducted to test both main effects and moderation, using IBM SPSS Sta-tistics (v27).Results: Results showed that stress control significantly predicted tactical ability, especially in training contexts. furthermore, the level of play moderated this relationship, with expert play-ers showing a stronger association between stress and tactical ability. significant differences in stress management were also found across playing levels, with expert players reporting greater control.Discussion: These findings align with previous studies highlighting the role of emotional regu-lation in tactical performance. players with higher competitive experience tend to manage stress more effectively, which translates into improved tactical outcomes.Conclusions: Training programmes that integrate psychological skill development alongside tactical components can enhance performance, especially when tailored to the player’s level of expertise.