Sports engagement and mental toughness in high-performance: A study with tennis players from Ecuador and Portugal

The purpose of this study was to analysis the relationship of sport engagement and mental toughness in elite tennis players from Ecuador and Portugal. The study featured 265 elite tennis players (127 from Ecuador and 138 from Portugal), with ages between 15 and 30 years old (Mage = 18.81; SD = 3.73) and belonging to the most advanced categories of the national ranking of both countries. Two questionnaires were used including the Mental Toughness Index and Athlete Engagement Questionnaire. We realized a quantitative analysis, where the ANOVA statistical analysis test of unidirectional repetitive measures, Pearson correlation (rho) and Cronbach (alpha) were used, which supported the analysis. The results showed that tennis players from both countries have high levels of sport engagement and mental toughness. In addition, the results showed positively relationship between sport engagement and mental toughness, indicating that players to become mentally tougher need to be dedicated and enthusiastic about the sport. On the other hand, not significant differences between both genders and countries were evident. This study reinforces the importance of developing psychological programs, based on sport engagement and mental toughness in order to developing determined, tough and component athletes to overcome adversity.