Tennis News You Can Use
I am growing weary of media sources blithely quoting the 22% surge in tennis participation during the COVID-19 pandemic. That claim is based on a USTA press release which cited that fact from the most recent PAC Report. I have no doubt that tennis participation was up in 2020. With gyms and health clubs facilities shut down, people were naturally funneled into tennis. It is inherently well spaced and commonly played outdoors. The self congratulatory nature of the USTA’s press release and the mindless parroting of the same claim in various media articles in the intervening time… is repetitive and annoying.
I don’t really believe that the USTA is deluding themselves that this “surge” in participation was a result of anything the organization actually did. Additionally, I am presuming that there is some team at the USTA that is actively working on methods to engage and retain new players. I am eagerly anticipating the fruits of that labor.
What is critically important to the tennis ecosystem is to find a way to sustain the pandemic induced participation momentum once normalcy returns. A recent New York Times article had some interesting nuggets of information and ideas on how tennis can start down that path. The parallel fates of tennis and golf in these unprecedented times was interwoven throughout the story. However, once the irrelevant golf content is peeled off, there were a lot of good tennis specific observations that were tennis exclusive. In related news, the tennis industry’s unhealthy obsession with golf is a future Fiend at Court Unplugged rant that has been building for a long time.
While tennis participation has been declining for some time, the NYT article indicated that tennis has been specifically struggling to attract beginners and newcomers to the sport. In fact, that constituency that accounts for a large part of the participation surge in 2020. I wrote about that very theme relating to engaging new junior players over the past weekend. However, it is equally important to attract adults to the sport and dispel the myth that if people didn’t learn to play tennis as a child, it is too late. It is not.
There are two broad categories of tennis facilities, private clubs and public projects. To achieve the USTA’s objective of increasing grassroots tennis for all people, those municipal parks and tennis centers are critically important. One of the principle challenges of building a tennis court is the fairly large landscape footprint required. Now is a great time for the tennis industry to pull together the data that shows the return on investment of existing projects in support of future investment in infrastructure. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when municipal budgets are likely to be fairly lean on the backside of the pandemic.
The NYT article claimed that the new people who are showing up to participate in tennis are largely “financially secure.” Additionally the article claims that the average age current tennis players is 32 and also observed that the tennis pandemic boomers represent a much broader range of ages. (Pause while I unsuccessfully try to suppress the urge to observe that journalism degrees don’t require a lot of math.) Uhm… what do you guys think the word “average” means anyway?
The NYT article presented some interesting anecdotal accounts from the directors of tennis facilities during the pandemic surge. First, it was observed how essential it is for tennis to convey the idea that the sport is not just for people who have been playing since their junior days. I think a lot of players and clubs inadvertently project that exclusive attitude. We all need to focus on being more welcoming and encouraging to new prospective players.
One tennis director quoted in the NYT article emphasized how essential it is for tennis organizers to meet players where they are. Rather than taking a one size fits all approach or relying on gender and age specific generalizations of player interest in tennis, it is certainly important to address the individual wants and desires of players who show up at facilities. That effort is going to take a lot of individualized personal service. That service needs to come not only from the tennis teaching professionals, but also the pro-shop staff. Marketing tennis at the local level is essential for the future health of the tennis eco-system. That first engagement is typically performed prior to the involvement of the tennis teaching professional.
The authors of the NYT article did a great job pivoting the focus from the 22% surge sound bite to the direction that is essential for the long term growth prospects of tennis. It is unrealistic to think that new players will continue to show up at the same rate once normalcy returns. Tennis has to look to the future and develop better methods to attract and retain players over the long term.
- The Pandemic Drove People to Tennis and Golf. Will They Keep Playing?, Matthew Futterman and Bill Pennington, New York Times, March 11, 2021.
