The USTA announced that tennis showed significant growth in participation and equipment sales in 2021, marking the second year for the trend.
According to the Physical Activity Council’s (PAC) Participation report, produced by Sports Marketing Surveys which monitors more than 120 different sports and activities, more than 22.6 million people played tennis in 2021, up approximately one million players and a 4.5 percent increase from 2020.
Data from the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) showed that racquet sales had an uptick of 22.7 percent in total units (3.4 million units) and 46.2 percent in total dollars ($122.9 million) in 2021.
Over the past two years, tennis has seen a 27.9 percent increase in participation, growing by approximately 4.9 million players over that time period (2019 versus 2021).
In 2020, tennis participation increased by 22 percent, with 4 million more players than in 2019. Sales of entry-level racquets also increased nearly 40 percent that year. Other key metrics include:
- The 3.4 million wholesale racquet units in 2021 represent 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; and
- In 2020, racquets priced below $50 and increased by 51.7 percent from 2019; while in 2021, racquets priced $50 and above increased by 49.2 percent from 2020.
“Many individuals turned to tennis during the pandemic, and it is incredibly encouraging to see that the sport was able to capitalize on this momentum and continued to see growth in 2021,” said Craig Morris, chief executive, community tennis, USTA. “The entire tennis industry worked together to make this a possibility, and the continued efforts of all those involved, including the manufacturers, USTA national and section staff and volunteers, and the providers at the local level, have put us in a position to continue to move the sport forward in 2022 and beyond.”
