PELHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – The National Women’s Singles and Doubles Tennis Championships are being held at the Pelham Racquet Club this week, and women ages 55-90 are competing.

The Pelham Raquet Club says there’s a recent study showing that tennis players live can 10 years longer than others.

They it’s never too late to pick up a racket and have some fun. But what’s the secret to being on the court competing at nearly 90 years old?

“Maybe I have good genes, I don’t know,” said Judy Smith, who’s playing in the 85+ doubles category. “I can still move. I’m still sort of cognitively functioning, I like to think I am.”

Smith is two months shy of 90 years old. She’s played tennis on-and-off since the fourth grade.

“I competed until I was 50, and then I went back to work full time. And I played tennis, but I couldn’t compete until I turned 75,” she said.

When asked what she loved most about the game of tennis, Smith said this:

“Winning. What can I say?”

Smith and her doubles partner, Reamy Watts, have traveled the world competing over the last 15 to 20 years.

“You spend a week here. You better like the person you’re playing with and spending time with,” Smith said.

“She is so much fun, she keeps things in perspective, and I love traveling with her,” Watts added.

Watts says playing tennis gives them more than just a way to stay active.

“I lived in Somalia, near Mogadishu, I lived in Beirut, Lebanon, I lived in Tunisia and all of those places. I played with people from all over the world and kept those friendships,” Watts said. “If you can find things that you share with other people, you realize that you’re each human, and you start understanding each other and respecting each other.”

The community these women build on the court carries beyond the sidelines.

“We really get to know all of the players very well, the families. I mean, we may not know the families, but we know information,” said Roz King, playing in the 85+ doubles category.

“We kill each other on the court, and we go out to dinner later with everybody. That’s the way it is, a friendly competition,” said Dorothy Wasser, King’s doubles partner.

Some of the women playing in the 55-65 age category say it’s inspiring to see the 85+ women out on the court. They say they hope to still be competing when they’re that age.