Can Tennis & Community Save your Life?
October 20, 2025
Written by Sherry P.
Have you ever walked off a tennis or pickleball court and suddenly discovered muscles you didn’t even know existed? The constant practice, the mental endurance, the endless sprints—racquet sports can be hard on the body, not to mention your wallet and your schedule.
So why do we keep showing up?
For me, it’s simple: the love of the game. And to rationalize my tennis addiction even further… it may literally be saving my life. You may have recently noticed the US Open slogan projected on the courts - “Tennis: the World’s Healthiest Sport.”
The Science Behind the Swing
A 2017 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined the connection between six types of exercise—racquet sports, swimming, aerobics, cycling, running, and soccer—and the risk of early death. The research followed more than 80,000 adults, ages 30 to 98, over nine years.
The results?
People who regularly played racquet sports were 47% less likely to die during the study period. That’s nearly 20% better than swimming (28%) and far ahead of running or cycling.
Then, in 2022, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study of data from 272,550 adults between the ages of 59 and 82 reinforced those findings. Among older adults, racquet sports topped the list again—reducing the risk of death from heart disease by 27% and lowering the overall risk of death from any cause by 16%. That even edged out running and other popular activities like walking, swimming, and golf.
It’s Not Just the Game — It’s the People
But here’s where it gets even more inspiring.
A 2025 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society followed 2,286 adults over age 60 and found that higher levels of social activity—including time with friends and family, participation in sports or volunteer clubs—were associated with:
A 42% reduced risk of death over four years
An average 15% slower biological aging
And 16% more physical activity
Translation? Playing tennis with friends isn’t just fun—it’s one of the most powerful combinations for health and longevity.
So, Can It Save Your Life?
Absolutely.
This data tells us what many of us have felt instinctively: connection, movement, and joy matter.
Grab a racket. Call a friend. Join that club.
Play for the laughs, for the sweat, for the competition—but know that every point might just be a little dose of medicine for your body and soul.
Game. Set. Life.
