Cardio Tennis is fast becoming a worldwide brand—receiving prominent play by Tennis Australia (TA) during this year’s Australian Open and officially relaunching/rebranding in Great Britain with new initiatives and a new spokesperson.

“Tennis Australia is using Cardio Tennis as one of its main programs to increase tennis participation in that country,” says Jolyn de Boer, the executive director of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), which created Cardio Tennis and manages the program in the U.S. “In Great Britain, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) recently relaunched Cardio Tennis and committed significant resources to the program.” Through partnerships and other agreements, the U.S. TIA has helped more than 30 countries launch Cardio Tennis programs.

TIA Cardio Tennis Manager Michele Krause worked with both TA and the LTA to train their coaches and set up their Cardio Tennis programs. “Tennis Australia launched Cardio Tennis last year at the Australian Open, and they’ve been seeing tennis participation increase,” she says. “This year, there is even more visibility at the Aussie Open, including signage on Rod Laver Arena itself, and there are demonstrations and Cardio Tennis ‘flash mobs.’ But it’s not just being promoted at the tournament—TA is reaching out across Australia. They’re so excited to be doing Cardio Tennis, bringing in players, and enhancing health and fitness for all Australians.” Information on the events Down Under can be found at http://cardiotennis.com.au/2013/01/09/stay-in-the-zone-this-summer-with-cardio/.

On the other side of the world, England’s governing body of tennis, the LTA, officially relaunched Cardio Tennis throughout the country on Jan. 19 with “three days of madness at London’s largest and busiest inner city shopping centers” along with other malls throughout the country, according to the LTA’s Sam Richardson. The LTA is delivering the Cardio Tennis message, along with the overall message to help more people play tennis, through a national campaign driven by the website allplaytennis.com.

The LTA also has a “new face of Cardio Tennis”—Kirsty Gallacher, who is a well-known TV sports personality in England. “I’ve only just started Cardio Tennis, but I am now completely hooked, as it’s a great way to get fit with family and friends,” says Gallacher, who is a mother of two young children.

“With participants burning around 600 calories an hour, Cardio Tennis is a great way to tap into the half a million adults [in England] wanting to get involved in the sport in a fun, friendly way,” says Sophie Curthoys, National Programmes Manager at the LTA. There currently are more than 600 venues in Great Britain delivering Cardio Tennis.

Cardio Tennis was created in 2005 by the TIA and U.S. Tennis Association and now has more than 1.3 million participants in the U.S. As the program has expanded around the world, it also continues to grow in the U.S., with enhancements that include Cardio Tennis Interactive, a web-based system that helps participants track their fitness and participate in “Get Fit” health challenges; TRX Cardio Tennis, a total body workout that utilizes the TRX training system along with Cardio Tennis; a Cardio Tennis “Authorized Provider” program; new tools and resources for providers; and more. This June, a “Try Cardio Tennis for Free” month-long promotion will be launched across the U.S., encouraging people to try a free session of Cardio Tennis at participating facilities to help drive more business and gain visibility for the benefits of the program.

For more information, including Cardio Tennis training schedules for tennis teaching pros and coaches, visit CardioTennis.com.

About the TIA
The Tennis Industry Association, the not-for-profit trade association for tennis, is THE unifying force in the tennis industry whose mission is to promote the growth and economic vitality of tennis by working closely with the U.S. Tennis Association and industry partners to develop and implement initiatives to increase tennis participation and improve the health of industry businesses. Core TIA activities include producing 70+ research reports annually on participation and consumer/trade research, in addition to Grow the Game Initiatives such as PlayTennis.com, 10 and Under Tennis, the GrowingTennis System™, Tennis Welcome Centers, Cardio Tennis, Careers in Tennis and TennisConnect.com. Visit TennisIndustry.org or call 866-686-3036.