Tennis Participation Numbers Leave Pickleball In The Dust

The USTA announced that more in-depth information has become available detailing the significant growth in participation tennis has experienced in recent years.  This information, provided by Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) as a follow-up to the Physical Activity Council’s (PAC) Participation Report, which monitors more than 120 different sports and activities, provides a closer look into specific demographics driving the surge in participation.

“We are incredibly energized by the tremendous growth our sport has seen these past two years, and especially gratified that this growth is being driven by young players and new communities,” said Mike McNulty, USTA Chairman of the Board and President.  “The USTA built a strong foundation for growth, and we are now seeing the results of all of that hard work.”

Earlier this year, the USTA announced that more than 22.6 million players took to the court in 2021.  This number was a 4.5% increase from 2020 and a 27.9% increase from 2019 – and an increase of 4.9 million players from 2019 to 2021. Data from the Tennis Industry Association also supported the growth in tennis, with racquet sales increasing in numerous areas in 2021, an uptick of 22.7% in total units (3.4 million units) and 46.2% in total dollars ($122.9 million) as compared to 2020.

New analysis of this data provides the demographic breakdown driving this growth:

• Participation among youth (ages 6-17) players grew from 4.6 million in 2019 to 6.9 million in 2021, an increase of 50%
• Participation among Hispanic/Latino players grew from 2 million in 2019 to 3.2 million in 2021, an increase of 60%
• Participation among Black/African American players grew from 1.6 million in 2019 to 2.3 million in 2021, an increase of 43.75%

Other key metrics in tennis growth:

• Tennis’ total increase of 4.9 million players in the two-year span exceed the total growth of all other racquet sports combined (including pickleball, badminton, table tennis and padel).
• The 3.4 million wholesale racquet units in 2021 represents the largest year-end racquet unit total since 2010
• The $122.9 million in racquet dollar shipments in 2021 is the largest year-end total on record
• In 2020, racquets priced below $50 and increased by 51.7% from 2019; while in 2021, racquets priced $50 and above increased by 49.2% from 2020

For comparison, there are about four million pickleball players in the United States. The sport is growing, as witnessed by increased creation of pickleball courts, such as this one in Sebastian, Florida as you can see here from Randy Walker: “Sebastian, Florida’s Exclusive Pickleball Complex https://youtu.be/mEfnRBazLwA via YouTube