Tennis Continues To Bounce Up And Down

Across Washington, DC/Maryland

You aren't wrong if you think you are seeing more and more people on the tennis court! According to data from the Physical Activity Council's Participation (PAC) report produced by Sports Marketing Survey, tennis participation in the U.S. increased by 22% in 2020, with 21.64 million people hitting the courts. "I think Covid gives the sport a boast because of social distancing, and I am still seeing the courts full in my neighborhood. Sometimes it's hard to get court time," said Courtney Taylor of Annapolis, Maryland. In Ocean Pines, Maryland, where tennis is a popular summer sport with locals and visitors, Dr. Victor Gong M.D., who recently organized the Saturday 9 am Drop-in tennis at the Ocean Pines Tennis Center said, "playing tennis is good exercise and fun." On Saturday mornings, he, along with other tennis players, just for fun, hit the courts to enjoy the game, laugh, and eat bagels. "It's open to anyone; all skill levels are invited Saturday at 9 am”, said Gong. The public 18th Street Tennis Courts in Washington, DC, are busy. "It usually takes 30 minutes to play, or you just walk on," explained Sheldon Johnson. "I watch the matches on my phone and then feel ready to hit some balls." Wimbledon officials are hoping fans option for watching the games in the stadium rather than through mobile devices, social media, or regular television. So far, attendance is down by 11% at Wimbledon. Speculation is the absence of top tennis stars like eight-time champion Roger Federer, World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, and Naomi Osaka are not competing at SW19 this year. Whether its Wimbledon, the US Open, or the Australian Open, the game is still trending at local levels on local courts. "Sure, the big tournaments are exciting to watch, but for me, tennis at its core is enjoying time on the court," said Taylor. With a near 3 million more people picking up tennis racquets for the first time the sport is thriving.