The sport of padel is witnessing exponential growth worldwide, with participation from more than 80 nations affiliated with the International Padel Federation (1). This expansion has prompted a marked rise in scholarly investigations, particularly focused on assessing technical and tactical performance (2–4).

Mental toughness, as evidenced by its capacity to enable athletes to uphold or enhance performance during challenging circumstances (5), holds a particular significance in the context of sports psychology. Within this domain, anxiety is seen as a concept characterized by an emotional reaction to a perceived threat, blending physiological arousal and cognitive apprehensions (6). In a competitive scenario, a distinction can be made between a stable personality disposition termed trait anxiety (7), and the transient symptoms encountered during a specific competition, referred to as state anxiety (8). Cognitive anxiety encompasses adverse anticipations of success or self-evaluation, negative thinking, reduced self-worth, pessimistic inner dialogues, fear of failure, diminished self-belief, performance worries, visions of failure, challenges in concentration, and disrupted attention (9–11). Somatic anxiety is linked to autonomic arousal, presented as increased heart rate or muscle tension, contributing to negative sensations like nervousness, breathing difficulties, heightened blood pressure, dry throat, muscle strain, rapid heartbeat, clammy palms, and a sensation of butterflies in the stomach (9, 11, 12). Self-confidence, defined as a player's conviction in his/her ability to perform effectively in competition (13), is a facet studied within this construct to gauge the athlete's comprehensive sense of accomplishment (14).

In this sense, competitive anxiety and self-confidence, specially prior to competition, has been extensively studied in recent decades (15–17). Research has shown that athletes with elevated anxiety levels often demonstrate poorer performance in competitions in comparison to those with lower anxiety levels (18–20). Additionally, there exists a direct correlation between the player's self-confidence and his/her performance in sports (20, 21). Once the competition is over, athletes from different sports such as football, basketball and volleyball show lower levels of competitive anxiety than moments prior to the event (22–24). The same happened to taekwondo athletes, who also showed higher levels of self-confidence at this stage (25). However, to the best of our knowledge, there is only one study, in tennis, which distinguishes winning vs. losing players regarding post-competitive anxiety and self-confidence, with the former showing notably reduced cognitive anxiety and elevated self-confidence compared to the latter (16).

A key performance indicator shaping match results in professional padel is the effectiveness of the ultimate shot (26–28). From these investigations, it has been established that a point in the game can culminate through a winner, a forced error or an unforced error. A winner occurs when a player secures the point directly (i.e., after the ball bounces correctly on the opposing side after crossing the net, the ball bounces for a second time; or the ball strikes the opponent's body before being out). Conversely, a forced error happens when a player loses the points due to difficulty in executing a shot or being poorly positioned following the opponent's shot. Finally, an unforced error arises when a player loses the point despite facing a relatively straightforward situation with favorable space-time conditions (27). Winning pairs commit more winners and less unforced errors than losing pairs (2, 29, 30). Nevertheless, while previous articles dissect each method of concluding the point separately, our research not only does so but also advocates for the adoption of technical-tactical performance ratios. These ratios are advantageous as they remain unaffected by the number of points, games, or sets. Moreover, regarding the court area, winners are mainly executed from the net area (30) while errors, regardless of the type, are evenly distributed between the net and the back of the court. In absolute terms, overheads and volleys are the primary sources of winners (31), whereas forced errors often result from volleys, and unforced errors mainly arise from volleys and groundstrokes with no wall (26).

Upon reviewing the scientific literature, the combination of mental preparation and performance in padel has received limited attention, with only a few studies exploring precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence (32–34) and none of them studying post-competitive anxiety and self-confidence. Understanding the interplay between a player's anxiety, self-confidence, and performance holds substantial value for players, coaches, and sports psychologists. This insight can enable players to adapt their playing style, while coaches and psychologists can customize feedback and training sessions accordingly. The aims of the present investigation were to analyze: (1) the differences between pre and post-competitive anxiety and self-confidence during matches in high level men's padel players from Finland as a function of the result, (2) the differences between winning and losing players regarding anxiety and self-confidence as a function of the moment (pre or post-match), (3) the technical-tactical performance according to the result and (4) the correlation among technical-tactical performance, anxiety and self-confidence. Therefore, the following hypotheses were put forward: (1) match winning players will show higher levels of self-confidence and lower levels of anxiety in the post-match compared to pre-match; the opposite will happen in the match losing players, (2) before and after the match, respectively, match winning players will display higher levels of self-confidence and lower levels of anxiety than match losing players, (3) match winning players will make more winners and generators of forced errors, and less forced and unforced errors than match losing players, (4) there will be a direct correlation between winners and self-confidence in match winning players, whereas in match losing players, there will be a direct correlation between errors and anxiety, and an indirect correlation between errors and self-confidence.

As can be seen in Table 1, regarding differences between before and after the matches, losing players showed a significant surge in cognitive, somatic and state anxiety alongside a significant decline in self-confidence; whereas winning players only displayed a significant increase in state anxiety. Besides, match-winning players significantly exhibited more self-confidence post-match compared to losers.

Evidenced in Table 2, winning players significantly produced more winners than losing players per match. The same occurred in every single technical-tactical performance ratio [for example: winner/unforced error or (winner plus generator of forced error)/unforced error].

As depicted in Table 3, there are indirect correlations between somatic and cognitive anxiety, between state anxiety and self-confidence, in winning players; and between forced errors and cognitive anxiety in losing players.

In addition, there are direct correlations between state anxiety and somatic anxiety in winning players; between state anxiety and cognitive anxiety, and between state anxiety and somatic anxiety, in losing players.

As shown in Table 4, there are indirect correlations between state anxiety and self-confidence in winning players; and between self-confidence and cognitive anxiety, between self-confidence and somatic anxiety, between state anxiety and self-confidence, in losing players.

In addition, there are direct correlations between state anxiety and cognitive anxiety, between unforced errors and state anxiety, in winning players; and between somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety, between state anxiety and somatic anxiety, between generators of forced error and cognitive anxiety, in losing players.

Highlighted in Table 5, there are indirect correlations between self-confidence and somatic anxiety in winning players; and between winners and somatic anxiety, between unforced errors and state anxiety in losing players.

In addition, there are direct correlations between somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety, state anxiety and somatic anxiety, winners and cognitive anxiety, unforced errors and state anxiety in winning players; and between somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety, between state anxiety and cognitive anxiety, between forced errors and cognitive anxiety in losing players.

Illustrated in Table 6, there are direct correlations between unforced errors and generators of forced error, and between unforced errors and forced errors, in winning players; and between unforced errors and winners in losing players.

Our initial hypothesis suggested that winning pairs would exhibit higher self-confidence and lower anxiety in the post-match, compared to pre-match; while losing players would show the opposite pattern. Our findings partially supported this hypothesis. Winning players displayed higher state anxiety post-match, possibly due to unmet performance expectations or individual variability within winning pairs. Conversely, losing players demonstrated expected increases in anxiety and decreases in self-confidence post-match, potentially due to underperformance and emotional distress. This contrasts with prior research on singles tennis players on official competition (16). Overall, these findings highlight the contrasting impact of victory and defeat, indicating that while winning might not necessarily yield favorable effects, the repercussions of losing could be considerably detrimental to players. Consequently, coaches and players are prompted to participate in psychological training to skillfully manage the outcomes of triumph and loss (55), facilitating their continual evolution and growth as athletes. Additionally, recognizing padel as a partner sport emphasizes the interdependence between players, where individual performance directly affects the overall outcome, underscoring the importance of effective communication, trust, and mutual support within pairs.

The second hypothesis that match-winning players would exhibit higher self-confidence and lower anxiety before and after the practice match, compared to match-losing players, was partially supported. Prior to the match, no significant differences were found, consistent with previous research (34). Post-match, only self-confidence showed significant differences, with match-winning players exhibiting higher levels. This could be due to the fact that the increase of self-confidence is linked, among other factors, to positive performance results (56). In this line, Fuentes-García et al. (16) observed higher post-match self-confidence among winning elite junior tennis players compared to losers.

Additionally, it was third hypothesized that match-winning players would make more winners and forced error generators, and fewer forced and unforced errors compared to match-losing players. This hypothesis was partially supported. Significant differences were found in the number of winners, aligning with prior research (29, 30), highlighting the importance of winners as a key performance indicator in padel. Athletes should collaborate closely with their coaches to enhance strategies for increasing winners during training sessions. This could involve reviewing competitive or practice matches to discern winner shots and their underlying reasons (57). Additionally, coaches could implement exercises that emphasize and incentivize winners (58, 59). Although not statistically significant, winning players produced more generators of forced error, while losing players committed more forced and unforced errors. Regarding the latter, losing players significantly commit more unforced errors than winning players (2, 60) in the professional level. Additionally, winning players demonstrated technical-tactical performance ratios, emphasizing the usefulness of such ratios for evaluating padel players, as they are independent of the number of points, games, or sets. To illustrate, making 10 winners in a 6/0 6/0 match where each game is won at 40/0 (48 points in total) is not equivalent to achieving the same feat in a 7/6(5)—6/7(5)—7/6(5) match where each game is won at a golden point and each tiebreak was won 7/5 (120 points in total).

As a final hypothesis, it was established that there would be a direct correlation between winners and self-confidence in winning players, whereas in losing players, there would be a direct correlation between errors and anxiety, and an indirect correlation between errors and self-confidence. Acceptance of this hypothesis was partial. Winning players showed direct correlations between the number of winners and cognitive anxiety. This suggests that executing winners may evoke a heightened level of mental engagement, reflecting the complexity of the task. Likewise, significant direct correlations were found between generators of forced error and post-cognitive anxiety in losing players. This could be due to the defensive skills of the opponents, the winning players, who actively tried to reach even the most challenging shots. Significant direct correlations were found between unforced errors and state and post-state anxiety in winning players. Committing unforced errors may contribute to heightened state anxiety among winning players, since they may not like the idea of giving “free” points to the opponents through avoidable errors. And heightened anxiety levels indicate a decrease in sports performance (61, 62) and anticipation efficiency (63). Hence, these players could benefit from working closely with a sport psychologist, to develop resilience strategies to effectively cope with the frustration of pressure stemming from errors (64), emphasizing techniques such as reframing perspectives on mistakes. Significant direct correlations were found between forced errors and cognitive anxiety in the losing players. The rationale behind this observation might be losing players' emotional reactions to their failure in executing demanding shots, potentially influencing their perception of the effective technical-tactical maneuvers executed by winning players. Hence, coaches and sport psychologists could implement targeted training sessions focusing on stress management techniques and simulated match scenarios that replicate high-pressure situations (65). Indirect correlations were found between forced errors and pre-cognitive anxiety, and between unforced errors and state anxiety, among the losing players. When losing players make mistakes that they feel they can control and improve upon during practice matches, they may feel more responsible for those mistakes. Tailored approaches may assist in reframing perceptions of errors (66, 67) and pre-competition nervousness, ultimately aiding players in better managing their anxieties during matches. Furthermore, indirect correlations were found between winners and somatic anxiety among losing players. In fact, anxiety has been shown to impair sports performance (68–70).

Losing players demonstrated elevated cognitive, somatic, and state anxiety, along with reduced self-confidence, while winning players experienced an increase in state anxiety post-match compared to their pre-match levels. Post-match, self-confidence was higher among winning players. In terms of technical-tactical performance variables, winning players made more winners than losing players. They also outperformed the losing players in every technical-tactical performance ratio. Besides, direct correlations were observed between unforced errors and state anxiety (both post-, and pre-post), and between winners and cognitive anxiety (pre-post) in winning players; between generator of forced errors and post-cognitive anxiety, and between forced errors and cognitive anxiety (pre-post) in losing players. Indirect correlations were observed between forced errors and pre-cognitive anxiety, between winners and somatic anxiety (pre-post), between unforced errors and state anxiety (pre-post) in losing players. Players are encouraged to develop their mental skills to manage errors and defeat. Likewise, coaches are encouraged to include pressure training and promote the appearance of winners in simulated matches.