When asking the average student in high school about their favorite sport, they might say something like baseball, football or cheer leading. But not many will say tennis, despite it being the most entertaining, the most peaceful, and one of the most energizing sports out there. If you disagree, allow me to present to you the many reasons why tennis is the best sport to play, and why you should get involved in the endurance and thrill it can provide. 

Reason One – It is a great way to burn calories while having fun

Tennis is one of those sports that is a speedy way to burn off energy in a healthy way. When playing tennis, it is said that you can burn between 400-1,000 calories per hour based on the level of difficulty you play with. According to Harvard Health Website, the average person weighing around 125 pounds can burn about 210 calories during a 30-minute leisure game of tennis, not accounting for a difficult level of playing as you would see in a tournament. Whether you play for an intense amount of time or just a quick session with a friend, you can remember that you’re exercising your body in a healthy, stress-free way.

Reason Two – It has major health benefits

While also being a good exercise, tennis also has been proven to help with health issues, such as lowering heart rate and blood pressure, increasing aerobic capacities and improving metabolic capacity. According to the website Giammalva Racquet Club, it is stated that tennis is a great way to build up heart rate while slowing it down at the same time. They say, “Playing tennis is both an aerobic and anaerobic workout. Aerobic fitness is ideal for burning fat, improving your cardiovascular health, and maintaining high energy levels. Anaerobic fitness allows your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently with short intense bursts of activity followed by rest. Tennis increases oxygen intake while getting your heart rate up. This helps your body get oxygen and nutrients to your cells and muscles more efficiently.”Along with the benefits of health behind it, tennis has the least amount of injuries. Because the sport is mainly played on a tough court  with minimal to no contact with another player, the likelihood of getting a major injury due to tennis is very slim. 

Reason Three – Tennis is very easy to pick up on

While it is hard to master, tennis is a sport that allows you to play based on the basics. As long as you know how to hit the ball with the racket back and forth, you are pretty much set for being a novice player. When playing tennis, you learn to focus more and to divert your attention on the ball and the ball only. You have to make sure you hit the ball in the right place and hit with a good amount of force. If you enjoy playing sports by yourself, some public courts have tennis walls that you can practice on in order to understand the speed of the ball and how hard you need to hit it. 

Reason Four – You can play tennis at any age

Unlike other sports such as cheer leading and football, anyone of any age can play tennis. Lots of young kids start out when they are toddlers, and continue to play in their late adult years. They have tennis teams for all ages; therefore, you can always count on this sport being around when you are older. Tennis is also enjoyed by all ages as many older adults enjoy the sport due to the stress relief they gain from it. 

Reason Five – Tennis is great for mental health and for social interaction 

It has been proven that tennis can calm the heart rate and burn off calories, but what can it do for your mind? Well, tennis allows you to relive your built-up negative energy  by releasing endorphins and producing Serotonin and Dopamine, according to Giammalva Racquet Club. By releasing the happy and productive endorphins, your mind and body will feel much better and much more accomplished after a game or two. 

In the end, tennis can provide great benefits to your health and your overall well being while still being fun and enjoyable to play. If you want to learn how to play or to improve your skills, tennis lessons can be provided by private coaches for minimal prices, and the season usually kicks off around spring. To train for tennis, you should most likely start around January so that by March, you are ready to play against others. When playing tennis, make sure to have water and an extra case of tennis balls in case you run out. Stay safe, and have fun!