Tennis

How tennis burns calories

Tennis packs sprints, lunges, and full-body swings into short rallies separated by brief pauses to reset. The power needed to generate racket speed, combined with the lateral movement to reach each shot, pushes the per-minute cost well above sports with more continuous, steady movement.

At 8.0 MET, tennis matches HIIT and moderate-pace cycling for calorie burn, despite the long pauses between points.

What changes the real number

• Singles vs doubles: singles requires covering the full court alone, while doubles splits the ground covered between two players
• Rally length: matches with longer rallies and more baseline-to-baseline movement burn more than serve-and-volley-heavy play
• Surface: clay courts slow the ball and extend rallies; grass and hard courts tend to shorten them
• Skill level: less efficient strokes and footwork at lower skill levels mean more wasted movement per point

Technique notes

• Split-step just before your opponent makes contact — it preloads your legs to push off explosively in any direction
• Recover to a central ready position between shots rather than standing still where you finished the previous one
• Generate power from rotating your hips and core into the shot, not just swinging your arm
• Use the brief pause between points to control your breathing rather than rushing to the baseline

How it compares