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Introduction In contemporary tennis, there is an obvious tendency to physically demanding game with strength, speed, strength endurance, and specific coordination being important determiners of sports performance. There are a number of studies dedicated to the diagnostics of the maximum isometric strength (MS) level in tennis using the hand grip dynamometer. This contribution deals with an analysis of the results of longitudinal observation of the MS level in top-class Czech tennis players. Methods The longitudinal research was realized with three top-class tennis players (the best ATP Ranking No. 4, No. 35, No. 72) in the game categories U12, U16, and U18 years old in 2000-2015. Testing of the MS (dominant hand) was done using the hand grip dynamometer Grip-D (Takei) in compliance with the protocol European Test of Physical Fitness Handbook [Eurofit]. The results of the MS have been compared with the norms of the Czech Tennis Association (CTS), Laboratory of Physical Education (LPE, Japan), and the German Tennis Association (DTB). Results Bodily height of all three players in the adult age is above average (194, 192, 195 cm), which is a factor enabling a high level of the MS (Ferrauti et al., 2014; Zatsiorsky & Kraemer, 2006). During the longitudinal observation, the players in categories U12, U16, and U18 achieved these results in hand grip strength: No. 4 (31.0, 50.4, 61.5 kp), No. 35 (29.5, 54.0, 52.9 kp), No. 72 (23.8, 40.5, 51.5 kp). Discussion The assessment of the importance of level differences in the MS of three top-class players when compared to the norms of the CTS, DTB, and LPE has been made using the calculation of the critical difference dkrit (U12: dkrit=1,8 kp, U16: dkrit=2,5 kp, U18: dkrit=2,7 kp). The comparison with the norm results of the CTS, DTB, and LPE for the categories U12 (DTB: M=21.7 kg, CTS: M=25.1 kp, LPE: M=23.0 kp), U16 (DTB: M=39.7 kg, CTS: M=46.0 kp, LPE: M=42.2 kp), and U18 (DTB: M=49.8 kg, CTS: M=50.1 kp, LPE: M=46.7 kp) has proved that players No. 4 and No. 35 achieved a significantly above-average level of the MS in all game categories and player No. 72 achieved mostly a medium level of the MS. Hand grip strength can be thus considered an important factor of sports performance in tennis.
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