New England

Tennis is Booming in New England and Throughout U.S.

June 01, 2021


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: James Maimonis 

Manager, Media & Communications

508-366-3450 ext. 112

maimonis@newengland.usta.com



TENNIS IS BOOMING IN NEW ENGLAND AS STUDY FINDS NUMBERS INCREASE DURING PANDEMIC ACROSS THE U.S.

 

WESTBOROUGH, MA - It’s a good time to be on the tennis courts as nearly 1 million New Englanders played tennis in 2020 - a 27% increase over 2019*. Tennis was also found to be the fastest growing organized sport in 2020. This is according to recent data from the Physical Activity Council’s (PAC) Participation report produced by Sports Marketing Surveys in collaboration with the Tennis Industry Association.

 

“Tennis is naturally a safe, distanced, and no-contact sport which proved to be priorities during the pandemic. As we move into our new normal, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome new people into the sport and encourage everyone to pick up a racquet,” said U.S. Tennis Association of New England (USTANE) Executive Director and COO, Matt Olson.

 

The U.S. Tennis Association of New England launched the ‘I am a tennis player’ marketing campaign on June 1, which exists to celebrate all of the new people who have come into the sport as well as honoring those who have always loved tennis. 

 

“As we emerge from a very tough year-plus, we want to spread some positivity. Tennis is a fun sport to play and is a great way to work out without feeling like you’re working out. There are opportunities for everyone whether you want to compete seriously or play on public courts for free,” said Alex Wesley, Director of Marketing for USTANE. 

 

Forty-four percent of people in the study reported playing on public courts in New England in 2020. USTA New England has a Tennis in the Parks program presented by Wilson Sporting Goods to introduce new people to the sport across the six New England states. 

 

For additional USTA New England programming and to learn about the ‘I am a tennis player’ campaign, visit the campaign homepage, playtennisnewengland.com.  

 

*944,436 reported participating in tennis in New England in 2020.

 

Click here to view/download as a PDF.

 

About USTA New England

USTA New England, one of 17 regional sections across the country that comprise the United States Tennis Association (USTA), is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting and developing the growth of tennis and increasing participation in the sport in New England by offering quality recreational and competitive programs for people of all ages and abilities. For more information, visit www.usta.com/newengland.

Skip Advertisement

Advertisement

Related Articles

  • USTA New England is proud to join USTA National, USTA Eastern Massachusetts and the City of Boston in celebrating the newly renovated Albert “Bootsie” Lewis Courts at Hunt-Almont Park in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. The project was supported by a combined $250,000 in USTA funding, including $200,000 from USTA National, $45,000 from USTA New England and $5,000 from USTA Eastern Massachusetts. Read More
  • Visit the Mike Louis Feature page
    Mike Louis Feature
    October 28, 2026
    Early in my conversation with Trinity College women’s tennis coach Mike Louis, he said something that could serve as a thesis for his coaching: “Tennis is the easy part.” The difficult work, he said, is everything else: character, relationships, education. It is a perspective that has changed over the years. When Mike was younger, winning occupied a much larger percentage of his attention. But he no longer believes winning is enough. “If you’re not doing it with the right people,” he said, “it doesn’t really mean anything.” Read More
  • At my first team meeting at the University of Denver, I put the team into groups of three and asked them to list the essential features of a healthy relationship between two players. These nine players came back with fifty-two unique ideas. 52! I was good for 10 or 15, but not 52. What struck me was how much they already knew, the wisdom that the question uncovered. Their collective knowledge had been there all along, in a room full of college students I had assumed I needed to teach. But no one had ever asked them this question. Read More