How Old Is Too Old To Start Playing Tennis? (Explained For Starters)

Introduction

As we all know, tennis is a sport that uses rackets and requires a lot of movement and flexibility. Therefore, we can not deny that age will affect sports performance. Indeed, age becomes a concern for those who are planning to practice tennis.

That’s also the reason why “How old is too old to start playing tennis” became one of the most searched tennis questions on the internet. This article will provide the necessary information to figure out the ultimate answer.

How Old Is Too Old To Start Playing Tennis?

Generally, tennis is a sport that takes plenty of skills, yet it is nevertheless highly appealing to people of all ages. Indeed, it is never too old to begin playing tennis. Whether you’re retired in your 60s or a child, you’ll be able to gradually learn tennis and gain specific health advantages for your age with practicing.

To prove that any age can play this sport, here are some typical examples:

Gail Falkenberg was born in 1947. She has played as a professional player from 1980 until now (74 years old).
Martina Navratilova is one of the greatest players of all time. When she was 50 (2006), she won the mixed doubles championship at the US Open. At that time, Martina Navratilova was the oldest player in tennis history to win a major title.

4 Benefits Of Tennis For Old Age

We all know that practicing sports can help our health a lot. But how does tennis benefit the health of older adults? Look through this section to get hold of 4 significant advantages of this sport for old age:

Strength and weight

Statistically, seniors have high risks of getting diabetes, heart attack, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases usually associated with aging. But, according to studies, they show that players between the ages 31 and 55, both men and women had lower than average body fat. Indeed, low body fat can keep you healthy and reduce the threats of those diseases.

Heart and lung

In fact, sports players have a greater average heart capacity than non-athletes, helping their bodies pump blood more effectively when exercising. Specifically, when it comes to tennis, this sport provides many vigorous physical activities that promote a healthy heart and lungs when you get older.

Bone and joints

According to the National Council on Aging, falling is the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older men and women, including fractures and breaks. In addition, as you age, your bones become weaker. Hence, it might cause an increase in the incidence of broken bones or some metabolic bone diseases (osteoporosis).

Especially, playing this sport helps you improve quick movement and direction changes to maintain your balance and muscle agility. Therefore, tennis is also considered a sport that includes weight-bearing exercises by running around and swinging your racket. Those exercises will help produce bone mass, making your bone thicker and enlarger, thus strengthening them.

Mental health

Generally, exercise is related to increased quantities of grey matter in the brain to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment. As a result, tennis with structured playing workouts can boost mental function and reduce your chances of Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia.

How Old Is Better To Begin Playing Tennis?

Actually, it depends on your purpose to begin practicing tennis. If you want to become a professional player, you should get started as soon as possible. Yet, your goal is keeping good health; you can begin with any age stage.

5-9 years old

In general, at this age, kids are building their foundation and habits. Furthermore, they can absorb quickly anything being taught. Thus, it’s crucial to show them proper techniques and correct form.

However, 5-9 years old is an age stage for kids playing sport to entertain or be with friends. Although this is an ideal age to begin practicing tennis, it’s critical not to force them to practice too hard.

10-19 years old

This stage allows children to play more intensely and train longer. Therefore, the heading purpose is to develop their game competitively to stimulate their sportsmanship. Besides, it’s essential to perfect their skills and accumulate playing experience.

However, people starting at above 15 years old can still develop their skills well. Yet, to be a pro circuit, it might take some challenges.

20-29 years old

By this point, players should continue developing techniques and skills but focus more on tactics and physical health. If your goal is to be a star, this stage requires the most effort. Indeed, most of the stars peak at around age 28.

Because playing at the elite level takes you many years of practice intensely. So if you begin playing at this age, reaching that level will be difficult.

Above 30

Above 30 is the transition period for those who follow their career paths to become coaches or managers for other young talents.

Not many people want to begin to practice this sport with a professional purpose. Furthermore, due to the benefits, it can bring, this sport is always one of the utmost choices to play at this age.

Conclusion

Overall, even older adults can benefit from practicing tennis. However, it will cause more harm than good as you age if you force yourself to play intensely. Therefore, planning carefully for tennis workouts is a crucial element to get health advantages.

To sum up, after warily finding out “How old is too old to start playing tennis,” you can be more confident to play this sport. So now, don’t hesitate to begin your sports life with tennis.