Anxiety Levels Among Male Tennis Players in Sabah: A Survey

Abstract

Tennis players often experience anxiety due to the pressure of performance expectations, the competitive nature of the sport, and the intense environment of tournaments, which can impact their mental well-being and on-court performance. This paper aims to do a survey identifying the levels of anxiety among tennis players in Sabah and identifying the differences in anxiety levels based on age among tennis players in Sabah. This survey study is an inferential study that utilizes quantitative data collected through questionnaires. In this study, the sample consists of 60 male tennis players. The instrument used to measure anxiety is the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R) (Cox et al., 2003), which has been translated by Norsilwati (2011) and will be utilized in this study. Meanwhile, the level of anxiety among tennis players was measured through 25 items contained in the questionnaire. Cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence were measured in this study. The findings showed that the level of cognitive anxiety is high with a mean score of 3.89 (SD=0.898), followed by somatic anxiety with a mean score of 3.69 (SD=0.258), and self-confidence is at a low level with a mean score of 1.59 (SD=0.186). Furthermore, a one-way ANOVA analysis was conducted to answer the second research question, which is to identify differences in anxiety levels based on age among tennis players in Sabah. The calculated F-value is 27.38 with a p-value of 0.152; p>0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that there are no significant differences in anxiety levels based on age. In conclusion recognizing and addressing anxiety can help players maintain their mental well-being and optimize their performance on the court. Seeking support and employing effective coping strategies are key to managing anxiety effectively.