Tennis is Physical Chess

The 2024 US Open heavily promoted the recent study that said people who play racquet sports live longer. That is an interesting claim, and being that I am a tennis player I thought I would give my thoughts on why that is.

First off you have to pre-meditate where you want to hit the ball before you hit it. Then you have to translate that mental image into the form needed to physically put the ball where you intended. The connection between mental acuity and physical coordination can only be a healthy strengthening of mind and body.

Another aspect is the high level of socializing that surrounds tennis. It is fun to play in tournaments or in leagues that test your abilities as a tennis player. However, most of the time I am playing tennis with friends. When this occurs we are joking between points or on change overs, and in many cases continuing to hang out and share a few adult beverages at the end of playing. Tennis always gives us something to talk about, but then allows us to talk about other aspects of our lives and current events. I really enjoy my tennis friends and we hang out with tennis being the vehicle that brings us together.

I highly recommend tennis or any racquet sport for an opportunity to exercise your body, your mind, and make friends. From my perspective they are three characteristics that support a healthy lifestyle, and being that it is never too late to play tennis I would recommend it to anyone. The nice thing is that part of tennis is your rating so you are grouped together with people of a similar skill level. So anyone can participate and support living a long and healthy life.