Why Your Heart Loves Tennis

When Professor Andre La Gerche was joking with a colleague about Donald Trump’s “battery theory” of exercise—that the body is born with a finite amount of energy and strenuous training drains it faster—he realized he had actual data to prove the opposite.

La Gerche’s team at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute studied 109 elite athletes alongside 38 non-athletes and found something remarkable: the athletes’ hearts beat about 11,500 fewer times per day—roughly 10% less “work”—despite their higher training loads.

Why This Matters for Tennis Players

• Efficient heart function: Exercise raises heart rate temporarily, but over time it lowers resting heart rate. A fitter heart pumps more efficiently, sparing thousands of beats daily.

• Oxygen efficiency: As La Gerche put it, “the body is inherently lazy—it always seeks efficiency.” Tennis players benefit because their training teaches the body to maximize oxygen use, reducing strain during both rallies and recovery.

• Balance of intensity and recovery: The study also looked at Tour de France cyclists. Their extreme workloads actually increased total daily heartbeats because their intense efforts outweighed their resting recovery. Lesson: more is not always better.

Practical Takeaways for Tennis Athletes

• Train smart, not just hard: Like cyclists, tennis players who push constant intensity without recovery may overwork their heart. Smart scheduling—interval training, lighter recovery days, and mindful volume—protects long-term heart health.

• Monitor heart rate metrics: Smartwatches could soon integrate a “heartbeat consumption” measure. Until then, track resting heart rate and variability. A downward trend in resting rate is a sign of cardiovascular fitness; a sudden upward trend may signal fatigue or overtraining.

• Prioritize recovery: Long rallies, multiple matches in a day, or grueling doubles can spike heartbeats. Recovery strategies—hydration, sleep, active recovery sessions—help restore balance.

• Longevity through tennis: Unlike Trump’s golf-only approach, tennis provides high-intensity bursts and endurance benefits. The net effect? A healthier, more efficient heart that literally beats less over your lifetime.

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Wrap

Tennis doesn’t drain your heart’s “battery”—it makes the engine more efficient, saving beats for when you need them most.

If you balance training, recovery, and monitoring, your heart will thank you for every serve, rally, and tiebreaker you play.