How many calories does an hour of tennis burn?

For a 155 lb (70 kg) person: about 316 kcal in easy social doubles, 352 kcal hitting balls, 422 kcal in doubles, 478 kcal in general play, and 562 kcal in singles. At 185 lb the singles figure is about 671 kcal.

How many calories does a set of tennis burn?

It depends on how long the set runs. For a 155 lb person, a 45-minute singles set burns about 422 kcal and a 45-minute doubles set about 316 kcal. Enter your own time on court for a closer figure.

Does singles burn more than doubles?

Yes. The Compendium rates singles at 8.0 MET and doubles at 4.5 to 6.0. In doubles each player covers less court and waits longer between shots.

How hard is a tennis match?

Harder in bursts than on average. In 10 measured singles matches, players averaged about 51% of their aerobic capacity, but single games ranged from 20% to 87%. The ball was in play only about 29% of the time, and rallies averaged 6.4 seconds.

Does tennis help you live longer?

Players in two large studies did. In a British cohort of 80,306 adults, racquet sports were linked to a 47% lower risk of death from any cause. In a Copenhagen study of 8,577 people, tennis players lived 9.7 years longer than sedentary people. Both studies were observational, so they cannot prove tennis caused the gain.

Is my watch accurate for tennis calories?

Treat it as a rough guide. A video and gas-analysis study estimated that about a third of the energy in a match comes from short anaerobic bursts during points, and watches estimate calories mostly from heart rate. A MET-based estimate that matches your format is a steadier baseline.

Tennis Calories | Free Online Tool | Body Health Calculator

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Results

Calories burned463 kcal

Net calories (above resting)386 kcalWhat the session added beyond sitting still for the same time.

Calories per hour463 kcal/h

MET value6.0 (vigorous)

Minutes to burn 100 kcal13 min

Weekly calories1,388 kcal over 3 sessions

Weekly activity target240% of the 150 min/week guideline180 vigorous minutes count as 360 moderate minutes.

How many calories does tennis burn?

A 155 lb person burns about 422 calories in an hour of doubles, 478 in an hour of general play, and 562 in an hour of singles. Hitting balls without keeping score burns about 352 an hour.

Those figures use the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which rates easy doubles at 4.5 MET, hitting practice at 5.0, doubles at 6.0, general moderate play at 6.8, and singles at 8.0.

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Tennis calories by format and body weight

Each value is a 60-minute total. Halve it for 30 minutes, and multiply by 1.5 for a 90-minute session.

Calories burned in 60 minutes of tennis (2024 Compendium METs)

Format	MET	125 lb	155 lb	185 lb
Doubles, social	4.5	255	316	378
Hitting balls, no scoring	5.0	284	352	420
Doubles	6.0	340	422	503
General, moderate effort	6.8	386	478	571
Singles or competitive	8.0	454	562	671

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What match studies measured

A 2001 study measured 20 players across 10 singles matches of 50 minutes each.

Oxygen use averaged 29.1 ml per kg per minute, about 51% of their aerobic capacity, which works out to roughly 8.3 MET. That lines up with the Compendium value of 8.0 for singles.

The average hides wide swings. Single games ranged from 20% to 87% of aerobic capacity. The ball was in play only about 29% of the time, rallies averaged 6.4 seconds, and rally length was the best predictor of oxygen use.

A 2011 study combined video analysis with gas measurements in 8 players. Aerobic intensity across games was about 49% of capacity, but anaerobic metabolism supplied about 32% of the total energy, 67% during points, and 95% while hitting the ball.

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How the calculator works

Calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET is the energy cost of an activity as a multiple of resting burn, which is about 1 kcal per kg per hour. Net calories subtract that resting burn to show what the match added. Worked example: a 180 lb person (81.6 kg) plays 60 minutes of singles. Calories = 8.0 × 81.6 × 1 = about 653 kcal, and net calories are about 572 kcal.

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How to use this calculator

Match the format to how you play. Social doubles with long pauses fits the 4.5 MET option, and a regular doubles game fits 6.0.

Choose general play for relaxed singles or mixed rallying, and singles for scored matches where you cover the whole court.

Enter your full time on court, changeovers included. The Compendium values and the match studies both cover whole sessions with their natural breaks.

Video: How to Hit a Forehand | Tennis Lesson (PlayYourCourt.com). Embedded from YouTube for education; we do not own this content.

Does tennis count toward the weekly target?

Adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, and each vigorous minute counts as two moderate ones. Moderate is 3 to 5.9 MET and vigorous is 6 or more. Singles, general play, and regular doubles count as vigorous, so two 45-minute singles matches a week meet the target on their own.

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What tennis does for health and lifespan

A 2007 review found that people who play tennis have better aerobic fitness, lower body fat, more favorable cholesterol levels, a lower risk of heart disease, and better bone health.

In a British cohort of 80,306 adults, racquet sports were linked to a 47% lower risk of death from any cause and a 56% lower risk of death from heart disease. In the Copenhagen City Heart Study of 8,577 people followed for up to 25 years, tennis players lived 9.7 years longer than sedentary people, ahead of badminton at 6.2, soccer at 4.7, cycling at 3.7, swimming at 3.4, and jogging at 3.2 years. Both studies were observational, so they cannot show that tennis caused the gain. The Copenhagen authors noted that the sports with the most social contact came out on top.

Bone benefits show up in the playing arm. In 10 postmenopausal women who played recreationally, the racquet arm held about 8% more bone mineral than the other arm.

[4][5][6][7]

How it works

Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours, using 2024 Adult Compendium codes 15685 (doubles, 4.5 MET), 15695 (hitting balls, 5.0), 15680 (doubles, 6.0), 15675 (general, moderate effort, 6.8), and 15690 (singles, 8.0). Net calories remove 1 kcal per kg per hour of resting burn.

Practical tips

Enter your whole time on court, changeovers included.
Singles burns about a third more than regular doubles per hour.
Two 45-minute singles matches a week meet the 150-minute target.
Longer rallies raise the burn, so baseline players work hardest.
Play with others you enjoy, since social sports were linked to the longest lives.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does an hour of tennis burn?For a 155 lb (70 kg) person: about 316 kcal in easy social doubles, 352 kcal hitting balls, 422 kcal in doubles, 478 kcal in general play, and 562 kcal in singles. At 185 lb the singles figure is about 671 kcal.
How many calories does a set of tennis burn?It depends on how long the set runs. For a 155 lb person, a 45-minute singles set burns about 422 kcal and a 45-minute doubles set about 316 kcal. Enter your own time on court for a closer figure.
Does singles burn more than doubles?Yes. The Compendium rates singles at 8.0 MET and doubles at 4.5 to 6.0. In doubles each player covers less court and waits longer between shots.
How hard is a tennis match?Harder in bursts than on average. In 10 measured singles matches, players averaged about 51% of their aerobic capacity, but single games ranged from 20% to 87%. The ball was in play only about 29% of the time, and rallies averaged 6.4 seconds.
Does tennis help you live longer?Players in two large studies did. In a British cohort of 80,306 adults, racquet sports were linked to a 47% lower risk of death from any cause. In a Copenhagen study of 8,577 people, tennis players lived 9.7 years longer than sedentary people. Both studies were observational, so they cannot prove tennis caused the gain.
Is my watch accurate for tennis calories?Treat it as a rough guide. A video and gas-analysis study estimated that about a third of the energy in a match comes from short anaerobic bursts during points, and watches estimate calories mostly from heart rate. A MET-based estimate that matches your format is a steadier baseline.

Related calculators

References

Herrmann SD, et al. J Sport Health Sci 2024. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities
Smekal G, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001. A physiological profile of tennis match play
Botton F, et al. J Strength Cond Res 2011. Energy expenditure during tennis play: a preliminary video analysis and metabolic model approach
Pluim BM, et al. Br J Sports Med 2007. Health benefits of tennis
Oja P, et al. Br J Sports Med 2017. Associations of specific types of sports and exercise with all-cause and cardiovascular-disease mortality: a cohort study of 80 306 British adults
Schnohr P, et al. Mayo Clin Proc 2018. Various Leisure-Time Physical Activities Associated With Widely Divergent Life Expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study
Sanchis-Moysi J, et al. Maturitas 2004. Inter-arm asymmetry in bone mineral content and bone area in postmenopausal recreational tennis players
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition

Medical disclaimer: These calculators provide estimates for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult a healthcare provider before changing your diet or exercise program.