British tennis has seen a positive increase in the past year with more women and children taking part in the sport than ever before.
The LTA has announced that seniors’ participation in tennis has increased by 43 percent over the past year in 2022.
The number of adults who said they played tennis dropped from 3.3 million to 4.7 million for the largest number recorded since 2017.
The LTA added that more than three and a half million children will have played tennis by 2022, while women’s participation increased by 34% last year, in a sport where 41% of senior tennis players are women.
At LTA our vision for tennis is open, and we have worked hard to build a solid foundation for tennis to be accessible. I would like to thank everyone involved in British tennis for their part in growing the game.
LTA CEO Scott Lloyd said: “We are delighted with these figures and that more people are choosing tennis. At LTA our vision for tennis has been opened up, and we have worked hard to establish a strong foundation to make tennis more accessible.
“We have a great team of coaches, volunteers, clubs and courts – and we’re investing in all of that to make it easy for people to get involved.”
Lloyd continued: “We are also committed to making our games inclusive and ensuring they appeal to a wider audience through uniquely designed channels.
“We also have brilliant players at the top of the game flying the flag for British tennis around the world and providing inspiration to fans and the next generation. I would like to thank everyone involved in British tennis for playing their part in the growth of the game.”
How important are Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu to the success of British tennis?
Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray have contributed to the success of British tennis
LTA co-director Olly Scadgell explained: “Andy and Emma have done really well, but we’ve seen a lot of improvement among many British players over the last 12 to 18 months.
“We know that success on the court brings visibility to tennis, which has an impact on encouraging people to pick up a racket and play, so that’s very important.
“It was only last week that Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid were successful again in the handicap events at the Aussie Open so it’s very important that we continue to see success at the end of the tournament.
“We saw our Billie Jean King Cup team do really well and reach the semi-finals of the event at the end of last year and all of that helps to raise the profile of tennis and hopefully inspire more people to take the money and play. .”
Major leagues in British tennis
Youth: Annual participation among 16-34 year olds jumped 48 percent year-on-year – more than any other age group.
Lower classes are economic: The greatest increase in sports (53 percent) has been recorded among the lower socioeconomic groups.
Children: 3.63m (aged 4-15 of which 49 percent are female) now play tennis, which represents an increase of 418,000 in 2022.
Women’s participation: A 34 percent increase last year, in a sport where 41 percent of the top tennis players are women, meaning tennis is one of the most gender-balanced sports in the country.
