Tennis players live 9.7 years longer than sedentary people. Not months, or marginal gains, but a full decade of life. This is not an assumption, but the finding backed by one of the most detailed health studies ever conducted. TheCopenhagen City Heart Studyfollowed nearly 8500 participants over 25 years, tracking their lifestyle, physical activity and mortality outcomes, and the results were surprising. Tennis emerged as the clear winner, with 9.7 years of extra life.
And the most surprising detail was that the tennis players were not training for hours. On average, they played around 1.7 hours a week, way less than what people spend in the gym.
This is very much similar to high-intensity training (HIIT), regarded as the gold standard of fitness. But tennis brings something that HIIT doesn't have - decision-making under pressure. Each point forces the brain to anticipate movements and react in milliseconds. This kind of mental engagement may help in improving brain functionality and delay age related decline.
“Both tennis and pickleball have added immense value to my stamina, strength, and overall daily physical activity. I feel more agile and sharper, even at work, because I regularly play these sports," saidAditya Khanna, Co-founder of PWR (Pickleball World Rankings).
"The biggest advantage of tennis and pickleball is that they are sports for life. Unlike cricket or football, which require large teams and are often high-impact and injury-prone, these are more sustainable. Even though all sports have some level of impact, Racquet sports are relatively easier on the body and accessible across age groups.
"There are senior circuits globally where players aged 75, 80, and above compete. That clearly shows the longevity these sports offer. Research also supports this—Racquet sports, being social and relatively low-impact, have better long-term health benefits compared to high-impact sports," he added.
The same study found that swimming reduces mortality by 41% while aerobics reduces it at 36%, yet they fall short of racquet sport.
Cricket falls somewhere in the middle as it often doesn’t keep heart rate high enough for long periods to give the same health benefits, but is still better than people with a low activity level. Tennis stands out because it boosts cardiovascular health, but it doesn’t have the constant physical damage of contact sports.
This aligns with broader health research that shows social ties reduce stress, depression and help in long-term survival.
It is assumed that longer and more intense workouts lead to better results, but the data tells a different story. For example, running adds over 3 years to life expectancy, while Gym workouts extend it by only 1.5 years.
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