Can Playing Tennis Really Help You Live Longer?

I am beginning to believe it: Playing tennis may improve longevity. If you play tennis purely for fun as most people do, the longevity angle may be a bonus for you.

Five years ago, I wrote a post titled “The Longevity of Tennis Players vs. Squash Players.” At that time, I asked the folks at my club if they could name three professional tennis players and three squash players.

For tennis, the answers came easily. They named Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. On the squash side, people were less sure. Ramy Ashour, Nick Matthew, and Gregory Gaultier topped the list.

Fast-forward five years and I am amazed that things haven’t changed much on the tennis front. The same three players — Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic — are still among the top-ranked players in professional tennis. At the time of writing, they boast a total of fifty-eight playing years among them.

With squash, it’s a different story. Gaultier is the only one left standing. Although, he is nowhere near the top.

At the professional level, modern-day tennis players seem to outlast their counterparts in the squash world.

At a high level, the longevity of the players in tennis and squash are comparable. However, it’s the level at which they play during the latter part of their careers that stands out.

Perhaps, it has to do with squash being harder on the body. Even at the amateur level, rarely do you find a squash player over forty who does not use some kind of a brace or support for his or her knees and ankles.

Simply put, tennis players seem to be able to play at a higher level for a longer period of time. Nicol David, who held the number one ranking in women’s squash for 448 weeks (112 months) is a glaring exception.

As for tennis players living longer, I didn’t make it up.

A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a monthly medical journal sponsored by the venerable Mayo Clinic, explored the correlation between physical activity and life expectancy. Over a period of 25 years, the study followed 8577 participants and found that tennis extends a person’s life expectancy by 9.7 years.

Of all the sports included in the study, tennis emerged as the clear winner. Unfortunately, squash, as a sport, was not covered in the study.

Having said all that, would the “play tennis, live longer” mantra work for us mere mortals? After all, professional players are a different breed.

That got me looking into the shelf-life of club-level tennis players.

Going by what I have seen on the courts at the few clubs where I have been a member, I can safely say that there are more older players on the tennis courts than on the squash courts.

There is at least a handful of players pushing eighty and still playing tennis. And, the house league teams — doubles and mixed doubles — are usually comprised of a disproportionate number of players in their fifties and sixties.

Sure, most of the older players gravitate towards doubles play. But, there are enough “senior” players who can hold their own in a singles match.

Obviously, tennis is working for them. It’s a physical activity as well as a social activity.

Play tennis, live longer, play longer!

Clearly, the ability for players to switch to doubles is a big plus in tennis. Doubles squash has yet to gain popularity. Unlike squash, there is less bending and push-off in doubles tennis. Crafty veterans can still be a factor in the outcome of a doubles match. Players slow down, but they don’t seem to stop.

Irrespective of the longevity factor, why stop playing when you are enjoying the game?

For now, COVID-19 related restrictions are holding tennis enthusiasts from getting back on the courts. I wonder how the die-hards are getting their tennis fix.

Most likely, they are turning to YouTube and watching videos like the ones above.

Meanwhile, stay safe.