How to track tennis on Apple Watch

Method 1: Apple's built-in Tennis workout

The Workout app has a Tennis workout built in, so you don't need to install anything.

How to start it

1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll to the bottom of the workout list.
3. Tap the Add button (+). On watchOS 10 and 11 it's labeled Add Workout.
4. Choose Tennis.
5. Tap the Play button to start. On watchOS 10 and 11, tap the workout to start.
6. When you finish, swipe right and tap End. On watchOS 26 and later, you can then turn the Digital Crown to rate your effort. On watchOS 11, scroll down and tap Add Effort first.

If Tennis is already in your list, just tap it. The list order changes based on the workouts you use, so Tennis gets easier to find.

What it tracks

Raise your wrist during play to see elapsed time, calories burned and heart rate. Before you start, you can change what it shows. On watchOS 26 and later, tap the Views button on the workout. On watchOS 11, tap More Options, then Preferences, then Workout Views. After the match, your workout shows up in the Fitness app on iPhone and in the Health app.

What it doesn't track

Apple's documentation lists no stroke, swing or score metric for tennis or any other racket sport. The only stroke count in Apple Health is for swimming. So the built-in workout doesn't count your strokes, tell forehands from backhands, estimate swing speed or keep score.

Two things to know

• Start the workout yourself before you play. Apple doesn't say whether the watch detects tennis on its own.
• Auto-Pause won't help between points. Apple describes it only for outdoor running and cycling workouts. To pause by hand, press the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time.

Method 2: TennisWatch for strokes, ratings and score

TennisWatch is an Apple Watch app that detects your swings from your wrist motion. It needs watchOS 26.2 or later on the watch and iOS 26.2 or later on the iPhone. The watch app comes with the iPhone app. Setup on the iPhone asks for your height, your skill level and access to Apple Health. You can skip height and skill level. Setup ends on a paywall for the iPhone app. You don't need to pay to use the watch app.

How to track a match

1. Open the TennisWatch app on your watch.
2. On the home screen, pick LEFT or RIGHT to match the wrist you wear the watch on. Wear it on your racket hand.
3. Tap START. Tracking begins right away, with no countdown.
4. Play. A "Learning Your Swing" banner counts your first five swings. Text tips start after that. After each swing, the screen flashes green, yellow or red.
5. To keep score, swipe to the page on the right of the dashboard and tap YOU or OPP after each point. Pause is on the page to the left.
6. Tap End Session. Your summary appears on the watch. The session is sent to your iPhone right away, or later when the phone is back in range.

What it adds

• Swing count and ratings. Each swing gets a green, yellow or red rating as you play, based on its estimated speed and your skill level. The ratings are tuned to be encouraging, most of all at Beginner level, so treat them as motivation, not a technique analysis.
• Shot types. The summary sorts your swings into forehand and backhand drives, volleys and drop shots, plus slices and smashes. Shot names appear after the session, not during play. There's no serve or lob label, so serves and lobs are counted under other shot names.
• Estimated swing speed. The watch shows the estimated speed of your last swing in mph. The summary shows your top and average speed. The number comes from how fast your wrist rotates, adjusted for your height setting. It estimates swing speed, not ball speed.
• Score keeping. Tap YOU or OPP after each point. The curved arrow next to End takes back the last point. It follows deuce and advantage, plays a tiebreak at 6-6 (first to 7, win by 2) and runs best of three sets. There's no no-ad scoring or match tiebreak option.
• Apple Health workout. If you allow Health access, each session is saved as a Tennis workout with heart rate and calories. Don't start one in the Workout app too. The watch runs one workout at a time, so starting a second one ends the first.

Workout app vs TennisWatch

• Apple Workout app

  Cost: free and built in.

  Heart rate and calories: yes.

  Saves to Apple Health: yes, and to Fitness.

  Stroke count and shot types: no.

  Swing speed: no.

  Score keeping: no.

• TennisWatch

  Cost: tracking on the watch is free. The iPhone app, with your history and trends, needs a paid plan.

  Heart rate and calories: yes, if you allow Health access.

  Saves to Apple Health: yes, as a Tennis workout.

  Stroke count and shot types: yes. Serves have no label of their own.

  Swing speed: estimated, in mph.

  Score keeping: yes, with deuce, tiebreaks and best of three sets.

The Workout app is enough for time, calories and heart rate. TennisWatch adds stroke counts, shot types, speed estimates and score keeping.

Tips for accurate tracking with TennisWatch

• Wear the watch on your racket hand, even if you hit a two-handed backhand.
• Set LEFT or RIGHT before you tap START. The wrong wrist setting can mix up your forehands and backhands. On the left wrist, forehand slices and drop shots are named less reliably, because those rules were tuned on right-wrist swings.
• Set your skill level in the watch app's Settings. It changes how strictly swings are rated, and at higher levels a soft swing is less likely to count. Intermediate and Advanced are in beta.
• Set your height in the same place. The speed estimate uses it to adjust for arm length. The height setting is also in beta.
• Haptics are off by default. To feel a tap on your wrist after each swing, swipe to the page on the left during a session and tap Sound.
• Very soft drop shots may not register. The app is tuned to ignore walking and watch adjustments, so they usually don't count as swings.
• Don't force quit TennisWatch during a session, or that session is lost. If a session doesn't show up on your iPhone, keep the phone near the watch with Bluetooth on. Sessions with no swings and no score aren't sent.

About the author

I'm George Yameen, a solo indie developer. I build sports apps for Apple Watch because I love these sports and wanted a better way to track my own game. Questions about this guide? Get in touch or find me on X at @GeorgeYameen.