New Balls Please! Covid Tennis Boom Lives On

As gyms were forced to shut down when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and remained deserted for large parts of 2020 and 2021, Americans were forced to look for alternative ways to work out and stay active. And while many discovered cycling as a nice, socially-distanced activity amid lockdowns, others picked up their old tennis rackets, hitting the outdoor courts across the country. In 2020 alone, tennis participation jumped by four million players, an increase of 22 percent over 2019. And while growth has slowed notably since then, participation remained high, as people kept playing tennis even after Covid restrictions were lifted.

According to the USTA's 2024 Tennis Participation Report, a record number of 23.8 million Americans played tennis last year, up more than six million from the last pre-pandemic year. "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,” Craig Morris, chief executive of community tennis at the USTA, said in 2022, applauding the next American tennis boom.

Interestingly, this boom differs from previous tennis crazes as it is more of a grassroots movement, driven by people’s desire to exercise and play rather than by the pull of an American superstar player. In the 1980s, every kid wanted to be John McEnroe, in the 1990s everyone wanted to be Andre Agassi. Now, it seems, people just want to play tennis.