Tennis participation reaches new high in USA, says association

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Tennis Association said Wednesday that 27.3 million people in the U.S. played the sport in 2025, reaching a new high in its sixth consecutive year of growth.

Recreational tennis soared during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and has risen by 54% in the U.S. since 2019, according to the findings of an independent study.

More than half the players, 14.5 million, played 10 or more times in 2025. There were also 4.9 million first-time players, an increase of 9%.

The USTA has set a goal of 35 million players by 2035. It made gains toward it last year with rises in participation by women (1.1 million more, up 10%), Black people (450,000, up 14%), Hispanics (550,000, 12%) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (260,000 up 10%).

The numbers reported came from an analysis done by the National Golf Foundation (NGF) of studies conducted by the Physical Activity Council (PAC) Study on Sports and Physical Activity and the PLAY Study (formerly known as the Participation and Engagement Study).

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis