A Single Session of Beach Tennis with Recreational Athletes Improves Anxiety Symptoms in Women but Not in Men: A Randomized Trial

Introduction: Beach tennis has become a popular sport, but research on its mental health benefits is scarce. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the effects of beach tennis on anxiety symptoms. Objectives: To assess the effect of a single session of beach tennis, in both singles and doubles modes, on anxiety symptoms. Methods: Twenty-two recreational players (11 women, age: 35.00 [13.50] years) were evaluated. Each participant underwent three intervention sessions in random order: one-on-one match (singles), two-on-two match (doubles), and a control session (non-exercise). State anxiety and affective responses were measured before and after each intervention. Results: For men, no significant interaction between time and session was found ( p = 0.646). In women, there was a significant interaction between time and session ( p = 0.002). Anxiety symptoms significantly decreased from pre- to post-singles condition ( p = 0.007) and from pre- to post-doubles condition ( p = 0.010). A significant difference was observed between the post-singles and post-control conditions ( p = 0.002). Conclusion: Beach tennis demonstrated an anxiolytic effect in women, with significant reductions in anxiety symptoms following both singles and doubles sessions. However, no such effects were observed in men. These findings suggest that beach tennis could be a viable intervention for managing anxiety symptoms in women. The study was registered in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (registration code: U1111-1293-7949).