National Tennis Month 2026 brought tennis to unexpected places... and maybe a few tennis courts

For six years, our section has encouraged Midwest communities to pick up a racquet and try tennis during the month of May with the help of enthusiastic volunteers, district staff and local organizations—celebrating tennis and what we love about the sport.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Midwest Section is dedicated to growing tennis to inspire healthier people and communities everywhere, serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, specifically, and every single one of those states threw a party for National Tennis Month. They brought tennis not only to sports fans but also to a ton of people who had never played before. Tennis activations were set up at Minor League Baseball games, a flower market, children's festival, health fair, library and many other places to share tennis with as many people as possible.

Thousands of people discovered tennis at these fun and welcoming environments.

Importantly, our district organizations used National Tennis Month as a platform to raise awareness of tennis and grow the game in their communities, connecting with folks who were enjoying the sport and wanted to know where they could keep playing. Several states also caught attention from TV stations and newspaper groups—another opportunity to hold the megaphone to tennis and highlight its physical, mental and social benefits. TV coverage previewed the event at Dow Diamond at the Great Lakes Loons game (more on that later) and highlighted the sport's positive health impacts. Watch now.

Attendees at these events also received exciting offerings. More than a thousand racquets were given away to welcome folks to the game and retain players. Find out how each state celebrated National Tennis Month:

Illinois

USTA Chicago hosted more than 30 events, including the presentation of the district's Ace Awards. This year, they also launched the Tennis is Beautiful campaign with a portion of proceeds going towards free tennis programming for underserved communities. The sport was also celebrated at the Little Village Community Health Fair.

USTA Mid-South Illinois kicked off some rallies at a Springfield YMCA where soccer spectators could take a break from cheering and hit a couple tennis balls on grass mini courts.

USTA Northern Illinois continued its streak of tying National Tennis Month to player wellness. Despite a rainy forecast, 3,000 people attended the Girls on the Run 5K where there was also space to play tennis. The day brought testimonial after testimonial about raising girls' confidence.

Indiana

We provided racquets and bookmarks for an event in Central Indiana where kids and teenagers were invited to kick off the summer reading program and try tennis at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. One parent said, "Thank you for incorporating tennis. Our children have thought about trying it and had fun today using their new racquets!"

On May 29, the South Bend Cubs took on the Fort Wayne TinCaps, and although the Cubs lost, the night was a win for tennis! Cubs fans got to play tennis next to the batting cages at Four Winds Field and spoke with USTA Northern Indiana staff to find more ways to stay in the game.

Michigan

South Bend wasn't the only city with a lot of buzz around tennis and baseball. In Midland, Mich. families tried Red Ball Tennis on the concourse along the first baseline at Dow Diamond in support of the Great Lakes Loons and National Tennis Month.