Young athletes face distinct injury patterns in racket sports that differ significantly from adult players, with implications for training protocols and injury prevention strategies in youth development programs. The growing popularity of tennis and emerging sports like pickleball has created an urgent need to understand how developing bodies respond to the unique biomechanical demands of racket sports.
A comprehensive analysis of 60 studies over the past decade reveals that lower extremity injuries dominate youth racket sports, with knee and ankle injuries accounting for the majority of cases. Tennis emerges as the highest-risk racket sport for young players, producing both the greatest number and most severe injuries compared to badminton, squash, and pickleball. Upper extremity injuries, particularly shoulder problems, represent the second most common injury category. Most young athletes experience multiple musculoskeletal injuries rather than isolated incidents, suggesting systemic stress patterns unique to developing bodies.
This injury profile contrasts sharply with adult racket sport patterns, where overuse injuries and specific joint problems predominate. The finding highlights critical gaps in youth-specific training and conditioning programs. Young athletes' developing musculoskeletal systems, combined with often inadequate strength training and technique refinement, create vulnerability windows that current sports medicine approaches may not adequately address. The research underscores the need for age-specific injury prevention protocols, particularly in tennis programs where competitive pressure often intensifies training loads before physical maturation completes. These findings should inform coaching certifications, parent education, and youth sports program design to better protect developing athletes while maintaining the substantial health benefits of racket sport participation.