Unaffiliated, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Br J Sports Med. 2022 Sep;56(17):955-960. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-104620. Epub 2022 Apr 8.
To assess differences in career longevity, as a potential marker of athlete well-being, before and after the 1995 implementation of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Age Eligibility Rule (AER) and Player Development Programmes (PDP), which focused on organisational, physical and psychosocial education, skill building and support for adolescent athletes (≤17 years).
Career longevity data were collected through 2019 on adolescent players who began professional tournament play between 1970 and 2014 and reached a WTA singles ranking of 1-150 for a minimum of 1 week during their careers. Players were separated into pre-AER/PDP and post-AER/PDP groups, consisting of those who played their first professional events (FPE) before or after 1 January 1995. Measures of career longevity included career duration and premature retirement.
Eight-hundred and eleven players were included in this study (51% pre-AER/PDP). The median career duration was 14.2 years for the post-AER/PDP group compared with 12.1 years for the pre-AER/PDP group (p<0.001). Moreover, post-AER/PDP players had higher probabilities of 10-year and 15-year careers compared with pre-AER/PDP players. After adjusting for age at FPE, athletes in the pre-AER/PDP group had an increased risk of shorter career duration (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.31 to 1.83) and increased odds of premature retirement (OR 5.39; 95% CI 2.28 to 12.75) than athletes in the post-AER/PDP group.
Adolescent athletes participating on the WTA after the combined AER/PDP initiative had longer career durations, higher probabilities of 10-year and 15-year careers, and decreased risk of premature retirement compared with those participating prior to AER/PDP. Organisational practices that encompass both education and competition regulation can positively affect career longevity related to improving athlete well-being.
评估 1995 年女子网球协会（WTA）年龄资格规则（AER）和球员发展计划（PDP）实施前后，作为运动员福利的潜在标志，职业寿命的差异，这些计划侧重于组织、身体和心理社会教育、技能培养以及对青少年运动员（≤17 岁）的支持。
通过 2019 年收集了青少年球员的职业寿命数据，这些球员在 1970 年至 2014 年间开始参加职业巡回赛，并在职业生涯中至少有 1 周达到 WTA 单打排名 1-150。球员被分为 AER/PDP 之前和之后的组，包括那些在 1995 年 1 月 1 日之前或之后首次参加职业赛事（FPE）的球员。职业寿命的衡量标准包括职业生涯持续时间和提前退役。
本研究纳入了 811 名球员（51%为 AER/PDP 之前）。与 AER/PDP 之前的组相比，AER/PDP 之后的组的职业生涯中位数为 14.2 年，而 AER/PDP 之前的组为 12.1 年（p<0.001）。此外，AER/PDP 之后的球员更有可能拥有 10 年和 15 年的职业生涯。在调整了 FPE 时的年龄后，AER/PDP 之前的组的运动员职业生涯持续时间更短的风险增加（HR 1.55；95%CI 1.31 至 1.83），提前退役的几率更高（OR 5.39；95%CI 2.28 至 12.75），与 AER/PDP 之后的组相比。
与 AER/PDP 之前相比，参加 WTA 的青少年运动员在 AER/PDP 联合倡议之后的职业生涯持续时间更长，10 年和 15 年职业生涯的可能性更高，提前退役的风险降低。包含教育和竞赛规则的组织实践可以积极影响与改善运动员福利相关的职业寿命。
