Physical and Psychological Predictors of Perceived Ability in Adult Male and Female Tennis Players

Although we know from research that achievement motivation is related to individuals’ ideas about how good they are at an activity, we know less about the components that predict these task-specific ability self-perceptions. Given their demonstrated motivational power, it would be useful to know what sub-component physical and psychological skills feed into individuals’ sport-specific ability self-perceptions. A sample of 323 female and 143 male adult tennis players filled out questionnaire measures assessing their perceived tennis ability, United States Tennis Association (USTA) rating, self-perceptions of seven tennis shots (e.g., forehand, serve), perceived physical competencies, and perceived psychological competencies. Regression analyses showed that age, USTA rating, Perceived Tennis Shot Abilities, perceived confidence and achievement motivation, and perceived strategy knowledge significantly predicted players’ Perceived Tennis Ability. The results highlight the importance of including perceived psychological abilities in measures of perceived athletic and sport-specific competence.