In Slovenia, the influence of chronological age in tennis is a poorly researched topic, compared to studies worldwide, which are somewhat more extensive and widespread. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the chronological age of Slovenian female tennis players on their competitive performance, specifically their ranking and the number of points on the tennis ranking in 2023. Additionally, we are interested in which age category shows the strongest expression of chronological age. The desired goals will be achieved by distributing birthdates across quarters within each age category and comparing these distributions. The study included 506 Slovenian female tennis players, with data collected from 2023. For 2023, we selected data for all tennis players in each age category on the Slovenian tennis ranking, including categories up to 12 years, up to 14 years, up to 16 years, up to 18 years, and women’s senior players. Descriptive statistics were calculated using statistical software. A one-way chi-square test was used to calculate differences in the distribution percentage across birth quarters for tennis players, and the Kruskal-Wallis rank test was used for analyzing the differences in competitive performance across birth quarters. We found an uneven distribution of tennis players by birth quarter in the age group of girls up to 14 years in 2023. However, no statistically significant differences were found between birth quarters in terms of competitive performance, considering the ranking position and the number of points accumulated. Relative chronological age does not appear to be an important factor influencing the competitive performance of Slovenian female tennis players in any way.
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