Andre Agassi or Serena Williams you may not be, but according to the American Journal of Medicine, the value of playing tennis through middle age is invaluable to a healthy heart. A study of 1,000 men who played tennis during their 20s and who continued on through their 40s, 50s and 60s found that only 12 percent had developed cardiovascular disease during the follow-up period of 40 years compared to 28 percent of non-tennis players. While other sports, such as baseball, basketball, football and golf, are very popular for the weekend warrior, these sports ultimately did not prove as beneficial to heart health as did tennis.