By Dr. Brian Hainline
Everyone knows that exercise is healthy, and that playing sports is one of the best — and most enjoyable — ways to maintain optimal weight, boost mental wellbeing, and improve strength, balance, and flexibility.
But what is the “healthiest” sport? Does it really matter which activity folks pick, so long as they’re exercising?
Contrary to conventional wisdom, it does matter. A recent study tracked more than 8,000 people over a quarter century to determine which activities offered the greatest health benefits. And there was a clear standout: tennis.
Tennis added 9.7 years to a typical player’s life, compared to that of a sedentary person. The only sport that came close to this was badminton, which added 6.2 years of life.
As a physician who previously served as the chief medical officer of the NCAA, US Open, and chaired two high-level forums for the International Olympic Committee, I’ve noticed for decades that tennis offers people who want to get and stay healthy the most “bang-for-their-buck” when it comes to time, effort, and actual bucks.
Tennis is ideally orchestrated to keep your heart healthy. The high-intensity intervals of activity elevate your heart rate, enhance blood flow, and strengthen cardiovascular health. Just three hours on the court each week could reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 56%, and the risk of death from all causes by 47%.
Aerobic exercise, by comparison, reduced all-cause mortality by just 27%. Remarkably, running and soccer had no effect on people’s risk of death.
Playing tennis is associated with greater bone mineral density in the femurs, hips, and spine. Tennis players have “significantly greater” upper body musculoskeletal function than their inactive counterparts.
Even those new to the sport could reap its benefits. As one review notes, “numerous studies have identified better bone health not only in tennis players with lifelong tennis participation histories, but also in those who take on the sport in mid-adulthood.”
Tennis also improves mobility, flexibility, and balance. Returning a serve, or positioning yourself for a precision volley, engages the whole body. Each burst of movement — stretching, accelerating, or pivoting — leads to improved coordination.
The confidence that comes from engaging skillfully with a physical task — sometimes referred to as physical literacy — is another reason to take up the game. 80% of players reported improvements in self-esteem after regular trips to the court.
Tennis is also one of the few lifelong sports that can be played cheaply and conveniently. Visit any tennis court — there are roughly 250,000 of them nationwide — and it’s common to see folks playing into their 70s and 80s.
Any exercise is better than no exercise. But if folks are looking to maximize their health gains, now and for decades to come, I always tell them to go pick up a racquet and head to their local tennis court.
Brian Hainline, MD is Chair of the Board and President of the United States Tennis Association and recently transitioned from the NCAA as their Chief Medical Officer. He co-chaired the International Olympic Committee Consensus Meetings on both Pain Management in Elite Athletes and Mental Health in Elite Athletes. Brian is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. This piece originally ran in the Duluth News Tribune.