Are Football Players Fitter than Tennis Players?

I've always had Tennis down as one of the ridiculously knackering sports at the highest level because of the length of the matches and the frequency of those matches in a tournament.

Only sports that come to mind that are even tougher are Road Biking (Tour De France), boxing and mixed martial arts (ufc).
 
Andy Murray must be one of the fittest all round athletes on the planet.

Djokovic at 34 was majestic yesterday against a 22yr old kid,and then there's 39yr old Federer......just a phenomenon.

I'm siding with Tennis.
 
Cant compare different sports really, just look how soft footballers are a little touch and they roll around like they have been shot. Compare to cycling where they go over the side of mountains ( like yesterday ) climb back up and get back on their bikes !.

OK that's not really a fitness thing but I would say being a cyclist you have to be fitter than any footballer or tennis player.
 
FantasyIreland said:
Andy Murray must be one of the fittest all round athletes on the planet.

Djokovic at 34 was majestic yesterday against a 22yr old kid,and then there's 39yr old Federer......just a phenomenon.

I'm siding with Tennis.
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They are freaks of nature. Its a very difficult comparison as the games are so different and in football the characteristics of the different positions are different. Each sport has astonishing athletes that are the exception rather than the rule - who is fitter between Ronaldo and Djok? There are some very athletic female tennis players but also many that, well, aren't.

Its a bit like the kids game 'can a wolf fight a lion/tiger/shark' that used to keep our 6 year old selves endlessly entertained. Impossible to compare.
 
Modern day footballers are fantastic athletes but to me they pale into insignificance in comparison to ultra runners. People like Killian Jornet who has ran up Everest (or at least reached within 200m) in 17 hours without Oxygen knocks spots of these guys.

The pain they go through and the length of time they suffer in these 100 mile plus races, typically over mountain ranges stands them apart from other athletes, possibly with the exception of cyclists. Also as the rewards (in conparison) to other sports are such small pickings it makes their suffering even more impressive.
 
Mad Eyed Screamer said:
It's not like they have to run very far though is it?
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I have played at least three sets of tennis in my time and I can confirm that the court, though smaller than a footy field, is just fucking enormous. And let's not forget, some of the passes in an attack build up in football are travelling at least five miles an hour, and then we have the spectacle so often seen with Southgate's and others' coaching of 'walking football'. The slowest part of a tennis match seems to be when a player is about to serve and s/he gently bounces the ball ninety-five times and then serves, whilst his opponent just rocks sideways with the breeze. Eddie must have to train as hard as the rest of the team but when he plays how much energy does he need compared to a tennis player? Tennis players have it over footballers.
 
franksinatra said:
Modern day footballers are fantastic athletes but to me they pale into insignificance in comparison to ultra runners. People like Killian Jornet who has ran up Everest (or at least reached within 200m) in 17 hours without Oxygen knocks spots of these guys.

The pain they go through and the length of time they suffer in these 100 mile plus races, typically over mountain ranges stands them apart from other athletes, possibly with the exception of cyclists. Also as the rewards (in conparison) to other sports are such small pickings it makes their suffering even more impressive.
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That's if you believe Jornet ;) it is interesting that women can out perform men at that distance
 
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