At the 2015 Tennis Industry Association (TIA) Tennis Summit, held Mar. 17 to 18 in Indian Wells, CA, a lineup of tennis, sports and business executives discussed opportunities but also many challenges keeping the sport relevant in today’s business climate and attracting more younger players.

“Millennial parents want more local sports, shorter play formats, and non-elimination formats,” said USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis, Kurt Kamperman at the event. “We’ve got senior players covered, but we still have work to do with youth players and getting them into the game.”

“There is a lot of competition for kids’ participation in sports and activities,” stated sports psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Jim Loehr. “Tennis must do a better job of addressing parents to let them know how tennis is different than any other sport. How do we accelerate tennis learning? How do we make tennis friendlier? How do we make learning tennis more fun? How do we awaken the world to the value of tennis in life?”

Loehr added that the industry needs to do a better job selling tennis to parents, noting several points that work in tennis’s favor, including how the sport provides a full-body workout, exercises the brain, can be played for a lifetime, and helps to make a better, more fully functioning person.

One promising initiative to boost participation TIA President Greg Mason promoted was “Try Tennis Free,” which runs throughout the month of May and is designed to give new and returning players an opportunity to get into tennis for free at local facilities and with local pros. Said Mason, “The Try Tennis Free campaign can bring in large numbers of players, of all ages, looking to benefit from all that tennis has to offer,” he said.

Katrina Adams, the new president, chairman and CEO of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), discussed her plans to better target the Hispanic community as well as recreational high school players. The USTA is also emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship in tennis.

Emmy Award-winning TV sportscaster Ted Robinson discussed what tennis can learn from other sports. “Tennis is unique in that some of the greatest players still talk about tennis and are great ambassadors for the sport,” he said.

Other topics covered at the conference included
•    The drive for healthy and fit lifestyles through tennis.
•    The importance of two major tennis infrastructure projects – one in Florida, the other in at the US Open in New York – to the growth of the sport.
•    The growth of the professional tours and how they’re connecting with grassroots players.

“As a follow-up to both the Tennis Summit and the T.O.M. Conference, we’re meeting to outline a plan that we hope will go a long way to achieving transformational change within this industry,” said TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. “These conferences examined the industry and our sport, and where it’s headed, and helped to define ways to ensure growth. We want to make sure we’re on the right path for the long-term.”

The TIA plans to present its annual Tennis Forum on Aug. 31 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City as the US Open begins.