Tennis Calories Burned Calculator
Find out how many calories a tennis session burns. Enter your body weight, how long you play, and the type of play — singles, doubles, or practice — to get an accurate estimate using published MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values.
kg
min
Type of play
Estimated energy expenditure for this tennis session
- 1
Duration in hours
60 min ÷ 60 = 1 - 2
Calories per hour (MET × weight)
8 × 70 kg = 560MET value from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011). - 3
Calories burned
560 × 1 h = 560
How does this calculator work?
Calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours. Singles tennis (MET 8.0) burns roughly 560 kcal per hour for a 70 kg player; doubles (MET 6.0) about 420 kcal/h. Enter your weight and session length for a personalised estimate. The fat burned approximation assumes 7.7 kcal per gram of fat.
Formula
How this is calculated
The calculation uses the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) framework, the standard method in exercise science for estimating calorie expenditure. One MET equals the energy cost of sitting quietly — roughly 1 kcal per kg per hour — so an activity rated MET 8.0 burns eight times as much energy. Multiplying MET by body weight in kilograms and session duration in hours gives kilocalories burned.
The MET values used here come from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011): singles tennis is rated 8.0, putting it in the vigorous exercise band, comparable to jogging at a gentle pace. Doubles comes in at 6.0 (moderate-to-vigorous), hitting against a wall or ball machine at 4.5, and serving practice alone at around 3.5 because of the repeated pauses between balls. The fat-gram estimate uses the approximation of 7.7 kcal per gram of fat; actual fat oxidation depends on personal fitness, intensity, and carbohydrate availability.
All figures assume continuous play at average intensity. Real burns vary with rally pace, match competitiveness, court surface, fitness level, and weather. For precision, combine this estimate with a heart-rate monitor or a fitness tracker that knows your VO₂max.
Frequently asked questions
Singles tennis (MET ≈ 8.0) burns roughly as many calories per hour as jogging at about 8 km/h (MET ≈ 8.3). However, tennis is intermittent — bursts of intense running alternating with short rests — which provides interval-training cardiovascular benefits that steady-state jogging does not.
In doubles, each of the four players covers roughly half the court that a singles player would, sprint distances are shorter, and each person hits the ball less frequently. This lowers the average intensity from MET 8.0 (singles) to MET 6.0 (doubles). The rally patterns and positioning strategy also differ significantly.
For sessions under 60 minutes, a pre-session snack is optional. For longer matches, aim for 30–60 g of carbohydrates per hour and 400–800 mL of water or electrolyte drink per hour — more in hot or humid conditions where sweat losses can exceed 1.5 L per hour. Bananas, sports gels, or crackers work well during changeovers.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Tennis Calories Burned Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/tennis-balls-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Tennis Calories Burned Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/tennis-balls-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Tennis Calories Burned Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/tennis-balls-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_tennis_balls_calculator, title = {Tennis Calories Burned Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/tennis-balls-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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