How Racquet Sports Can Improve Your Health and Increase Your Longevity
This story is part of Fit and Fun at Any Age—a seven part guide to live a longer and better life.
IF YOU’VE BEEN thinking about joining your buddy’s pickleball crew or getting in with the padel crowd before the sport goes mainstream, consider this your sign to hit the courts this spring: There’s some pretttty strong evidence that racquet sports, from tennis to pickleball to padel, can increase your longevity. No, we’re not BS’ing you and yes, we have receipts.
Around the time of last year’s US Open, a 2018 study resurfaced on our social feeds. In the study, researchers observed 8,577 Danish residents, ages 20 to 93, from 1991 to 2017. They found that those who regularly played tennis lived an average of 9.7 years (!) longer than their sedentary counterparts. There are of course some limitations to the study, but this prompted an exploration into the health benefits of racquet sports overall and—spoiler alert—there are a lot.
You can read about these benefits in the stories below, starting with “The Long Game,” where we dive into the viral study’s claims that playing tennis can help you live longer. Then we have a look into top tennis pros’ secrets for peak performance, plus an expert-backed guide to help you decide which racquet sport is right for you, a heartwarming story of two men—three decades apart—who found fitness and healing in pickleball, and a first-of-its-kind pickleball workout plan to help you build strength and take your skills to the next level. See you on the courts!
The Fitness Secrets of Top Tennis Pros
Dig into these tennis pros’ secrets for peak performance.
READ MORE
Racquet Sports 101
If you’re ready to get in on the racquet sport craze, use this expert-backed guide to help you decide which sport is right for you.
READ MORE
My Dill-iant Friend
How two men, three decades apart in age, found fitness and healing in pickleball—and in their friendship.
READ MORE
The Ultimate Pickleball Workout Plan
Level up your game and injury-proof your body with this strength program for all skill levels.
READ MORE
Rachel Epstein is the Deputy Editor at Men’s Health, where she oversees, edits, and assigns content across MensHealth.com. She previously held roles at Marie Claire and Coveteur. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.
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