How many calories does a two-hour tennis match burn?

At 70 kg about 1,040 kcal in singles, about 780 kcal in doubles – total energy including resting metabolism.

Does tennis burn more than jogging?

No, slightly less: singles is 8.0 MET, jogging at 8 km/h 8.5 MET. The gap is small, and tennis trains sprints and coordination instead.

How much does an hour of doubles burn?

At 70 kg about 390 kcal – about as much as an hour of cross-country hiking.

Calories burned by sportCalories burned

Calories burned playing tennis

By Thomas Freimoser · Updated: October 26, 2026

Tennis is a sport of short sprints and many breaks. The Compendium values include the breaks between rallies – which is why they are below what a single rally suggests.

Short answer

At 70 kg you burn about 520 kcal per hour playing singles and about 390 kcal playing doubles.

kcal per hour by pace and body weight

Pace / variant	55 kg	70 kg	85 kg	100 kg
doubles6 MET · Code 15680	350	390	435	480
singles8 MET · Code 15690	465	520	580	640

Example person: 35 years, 172 cm · total energy including resting metabolism · rounded to 5 kcal · MET values: Compendium 2024.

Calculate for your bodyHeight, age and sex shift the values by up to 20 %.

What raises the burn

Singles instead of doubles: covering the court alone burns about 33 % more per hour.
Breaks count: changing ends, fetching balls and the time between points are included. Playing briskly puts you at the upper end.
Feet, knees, shoulders and arms carry a lot – stops, changes of direction and serves. The planner caps tennis at 3 hours a day.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a two-hour tennis match burn?: At 70 kg about 1,040 kcal in singles, about 780 kcal in doubles – total energy including resting metabolism.
Does tennis burn more than jogging?: No, slightly less: singles is 8.0 MET, jogging at 8 km/h 8.5 MET. The gap is small, and tennis trains sprints and coordination instead.
How much does an hour of doubles burn?: At 70 kg about 390 kcal – about as much as an hour of cross-country hiking.

In comparison

Similar burn at 70 kg, from the calmest to the most intense variant:

Cycling260–655 kcal/h
Tennis390–520 kcal/h
Elliptical325–585 kcal/h
Hiking390–510 kcal/h

And for the 10K Burn Challenge?

With tennis alone it would take 2.6 hours to burn 1,000 kcal. The planner shows how a whole day of 5,000 to 10,000 kcal comes together.

Build a day in the planner

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For healthy, trained adults only. Burning 10,000 kcal in a day is extreme. Drink, eat, rest – and stop immediately at any warning sign. Safety & methodology