News

Extract from USTA Review of Tennis activity in 2020

Total number of Courts: 250,000

2020 saw 4.5m players either starting to play or returning. These players mostly played at public parks, schools or recreational facilities, which demonstrates the need to provide more such facilities to further the growth of tennis. These players drove a 22% increase in play at these venues.

Approximately 25% of play takes place at private/commercial clubs.

Participation

In spite of the Covid Pandemic overall participation grew by 22%, demonstrating what we already knew that tennis is the perfect sport for both exercise and social distancing.

There were almost 3 million new players registered in 2020, a 44% increase year on year. Based on the evidence of growth in spite of Covid the industry has a huge opportunity to come to a better understanding of the needs of these new and returning players and engage with them in providing for the demand for facilities and appropriate programs and value propositions.

Facilities

As already reported 66% of play occurred at public parks, schools and community centers.

Public facilities present a significant opportunity to capture new and casual players and engage them with additional programming to continue their tennis journey.

Red Deer National Championship – Cowboys, Culture and Pickleball

Canadian National Championships (2021) to be hosted by Red Deer (link)

Red Deer Pickleball Club in Red Deer, Alberta, will be the host site for the 2021 Canadian National Pickleball Championship (Nationals). The dates of the championship are August 11-15, 2021.

The 2021 French Open marks a slow return to normality in the tennis world. With the usual May-June slot reinstated and spectators set to return. The French Open main draws begin on 30th May, with the women’s final slated for 12th June and the men’s final for 13th June. The second Grand Slam of the year has its base in the 16th arrondissement of Paris at the Stade Roland Garros stadium complex.

Defending champion, Rafael Nadal, ‘The King of Clay’, is obviously competing for the title this year in an attempt to secure a 14th championship at Roland Garros, as many Slams as the great Pete Sampras had in total.