Ever wondered which sport can help you live longest? In this week’s blog, our Director of Tennis Andy Trott, discusses the numerous benefits that playing tennis has on your health and wellbeing, as well as record-breaking numbers for our University Tennis department!
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) recently published its Global Tennis Report which, amongst other things, identified that there are now over 100 million people playing tennis around the world. This is the first time the sport has ever reached over 100 million people in one year. The report also highlighted where the greatest growth in the sport is coming from based (per capita) and it’s good news for British Tennis! The report confirmed that 13.4% of the population play tennis, a greater percentage of the population than of any in the world.
Not only is the sport growing in popularity around the world (despite the rise of pickleball and padel), there is now more evidence that tennis is also contributing significantly to quality of life and life expectancy. The Copenhagen City Heart Study, which followed over 8,500 people for 25 years, found tennis players have a better chance of living longer than those who engaged in badminton, football, cycling, swimming and jogging.
Increase in life expectancy by sport, according to the study:
🎾Playing tennis = +9.7 years
🏸Playing badminton = +6.2 years
🏊Swimming = +3.4 years
🏃Jogging = +3.2 years
Similarly, in a 2020 study published in the International Journal of Exercise Science, recreational tennis players who played at least twice a week were less likely to have obesity, felt more energised and have overall better health. The benefits are largely due to the impact of tennis on our heart. Playing tennis three hours a week can reduce your risk of heart disease by over 50%!
Our role at the University of Bristol
The tennis team here at the University of Bristol continue to promote the sport and its benefits, creating a safe, positive and inclusive environment to help maximise the potential of every player, on and off the court. We end 2024 with more juniors on our community programme than any other previous year (550+ juniors playing each week), more students playing tennis than ever before (1 in 20 University of Bristol students will play tennis as a result of Sport, Exercise and Health in 2024), all powered by a passionate, dedicated and talented team of over 50 coaches and volunteers.
🎾Join the 13.4% of the UK’s population playing tennis! Whether you’re new to the sport or already a pro, find out about tennis at the University of Bristol, including ‘pay-as-you-go’ court hire (indoor and outdoor).