Why did tennis lead a scientific study on life expectancy?
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A scientific study identified that tennis showed the strongest statistical association with estimated life expectancy gain among the sports analyzed. However, this association should be interpreted in light of the methodological limitations highlighted by the researchers themselves.
Among the various benefits traditionally attributed to regular physical activity, few results have aroused as much curiosity as those presented in the study " Various Leisure-Time Physical Activities Associated With Widely Divergent Life Expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study," published in 2018 in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings and conducted by Peter Schnohr and his team of researchers.
This is a prospective population study based on detailed questionnaires about participation in different sports and leisure physical activities. The research used data from 8,577 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study , a long-term epidemiological study conducted in Denmark. In the analysis published in 2018 , these participants were followed for up to 25 years .
Researchers assessed the association between sports participation and all-cause mortality using data collected during examinations conducted in the Copenhagen City Heart Study between October 10, 1991 , and September 16, 1994. The mortality of these participants was then followed up until March 22, 2017 .
The analysis revealed a result that surprised even the researchers themselves: among the sports evaluated, tennis showed the strongest statistical association with the greatest estimated increase in life expectancy.
Tennis appeared in first place.
When comparing people who practiced different sports with sedentary individuals, researchers found the following association between each sport and the estimated increase in life expectancy:
Modality | Estimated gain in life expectancy* |
Tennis | 9.7 years |
Badminton | 6.2 years |
Soccer | 4.7 years |
Cycling | 3.7 years |
Swimming | 3.4 years |
Race | 3.2 years |
Gymnastics | 3.1 years |
Academy | 1.5 years |
*Estimates obtained in comparison with sedentary individuals.
The result was noteworthy because tennis outperformed sports traditionally associated with cardiovascular conditioning, such as running, cycling, and swimming .
Despite the striking results, the authors themselves made a fundamental caveat. The research was an observational study , in which researchers followed participants over time and analyzed the association between their lifestyle habits and all-cause mortality.
Although the research used information obtained from clinical examinations and questionnaires from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, the sporting activity was identified through self-reporting, tracking the association between physical activity during leisure time and all-cause mortality. Therefore, its results indicate statistical associations, but do not allow us to conclude that playing tennis is, by itself, the cause of the longer lifespan observed.
But what could explain this result? Although the study does not establish a causal relationship, the researchers presented possible explanations for the observed association.
The comparison with the sedentary group served as a reference to estimate life expectancy associated with different sports. The main finding of the study was that this association varied significantly among the sports analyzed . Among them, tennis showed the strongest statistical association with the estimated increase in life expectancy. However, this result should be interpreted with caution, as other factors, such as diet, socioeconomic conditions, access to health services, educational level, lifestyle habits, and individual characteristics, may also have influenced this association.
This distinction between statistical association and causality is one of the foundations of scientific methodology, especially in the interpretation of observational studies, and should be considered whenever their results are disseminated to the public.
Why tennis in particular?
The researchers themselves sought to understand this result, but made it clear that the study was not designed to identify its causes.
One of the hypotheses presented is that certain sports combine the benefits of physical activity with intense social interaction.
Among those that showed the greatest estimated gains in life expectancy are precisely sports practiced with partners or teams, such as tennis, badminton, and soccer.
According to the authors, frequent interaction, the building of social relationships, and the strengthening of interpersonal bonds can represent additional health benefits, beyond those provided by physical exercise.
A new study that used data from the 2018 survey.
The 2018 study did not conclude this line of investigation. In 2021, part of the same research team published a new paper again using data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study .
This time, the objective was to investigate how the weekly duration of practice in different sports was associated with all-cause mortality, seeking to understand if there was a quantity of exercise related to the lower risks observed.
Researchers observed that the relationship between practice time and mortality was not linear. In several sports, both insufficient practice and excessive training were associated with less favorable outcomes, suggesting that there is an intermediate range of practice that is potentially more beneficial.
This second study can be seen as a natural evolution of the research initiated earlier. The first study essentially asked, "Which sport is associated with the highest life expectancy?" , while the second explored "How does the weekly duration of practice in these sports relate to mortality?"
What do these studies really teach us?
Perhaps the main contribution of this research is not to establish a "definitive ranking" among sports.
The results reinforce the idea that regular physical activity is associated with better health indicators and life expectancy, while also suggesting that social factors may play an important role in this process.
Tennis showed the strongest statistical association with the estimated increase in life expectancy among the sports evaluated. However, the observational design of the research does not allow us to determine how much of this association can be attributed to playing tennis and how much may result from other factors.
In science, significant discoveries often raise new questions. And that's exactly what happened: instead of ending the debate, the results stimulated new investigations into how physical exercise, social interaction, and lifestyle can work together to promote health.
In 2024 , six years after the Danish study, a new international research project entitled Sport and Longevity: An Observational Study of International Athletes significantly expanded the scope of the study, gathering data from 95,210 former athletes from 183 countries and 44 sports.
The results again indicated a positive association between racket sports — such as tennis and badminton — and longer lifespan . Unlike the research published in 2018, however, tennis did not occupy the first position among the sports evaluated, although it remained among those associated with the most favorable results.
Tennis and badminton showed a consistent and positive association in both male and female athletes, as evidenced by a longevity of up to 5.7 years in men and 2.8 years in women. This finding reinforces that this line of research continues to evolve and still requires further studies to clarify the factors responsible for the observed differences between sports.
Although the 2024 study did not produce conclusive evidence about the causes of this association, the authors formulated a hypothesis to explain the results. According to them, modalities that combine aerobic and anaerobic characteristics — the so-called " mixed sports " — could provide greater benefits throughout life.
According to this hypothesis, mixed sports require, in a balanced way, cardiovascular endurance, muscular explosion, power, speed, frequent changes in intensity, and a high degree of motor coordination.
A hard-fought point between Learner Tien and Daniil Medvedev - Australian Open 2025
Tennis is a classic example of this type of activity. During a match, the athlete alternates between rapid movements, accelerations and decelerations, short periods of intense effort, brief recovery intervals, and maintaining physical activity for long periods.
This combination recruits different physiological systems in an integrated way, unlike predominantly aerobic modalities, such as long-distance running , or predominantly anaerobic modalities , such as weightlifting.
Although currently available evidence points to an association between certain sports and a longer life expectancy, science is still trying to understand which factors actually explain this phenomenon.
The observed results for tennis sparked international interest and contributed to broadening the scientific debate and journalistic coverage of the relationship between sports practice, health, and life expectancy.
New studies will be essential to confirm, refine, or even revise the hypotheses currently proposed, contributing to a broader understanding of how different sports practices can promote a longer and healthier life.
By Luiz Cincurá
Founder and Editor
Editorial transparency: This article was produced with the support of ChatGPT during the research and preliminary content organization stages. The definition of the editorial approach, critical analysis, technical review, and final writing were carried out by the Editor, who is ultimately responsible for the published content.
Sources:
ALTULEA A; RUTTEN MGS; VERDIJK LB; DEMARIA M. Sport and longevity: an observational study of international athletes. Geroscience. 2025 Apr;47(2):1397-1409. doi: 10.1007/s11357-024-01307-9. Epub 2024 Aug 12. PMID: 39129051; PMCID: PMC11979035.
SCHNOHR, Peter; O'KEEFE, James H.; HOLTERMANN, Andreas; LAVIE, Carl; LANGE, Peter; JENSEN, Gorm Boje and MAROTT, Jacob Louis. Various Leisure-Time Physical Activities Associated With Widely Divergent Life Expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, vol. 93, no. 12, p. 1775–1785, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.06.025.
SCHNOHR P, O'KEEFE JH, LAVIE CJ, HOLTERMANN A, LANGE P, JENSEN GB, MAROTT JL. U-Shaped Association Between Duration of Sports Activities and Mortality: Copenhagen City Heart Study. Mayo Clin Proc. 2021 Dec;96(12):3012-3020. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.05.028. Epub 2021 Aug 17. PMID: 34412854.
SCHNOHR P; O'KEEFE JH; MAROTT JL; LANGE P; Jensen GB. Dose of jogging and long-term mortality: the Copenhagen City Heart Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015 Feb 10;65(5):411-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.11.023. PMID: 25660917.
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