Tennis Participation Continues to Rocket in the US

Per the USTA, tennis participation in the United States increased by 1.6 million in 2025 to reach a new high of 27.3 million total players. 

It’s a trend that has been more than a half-decade in the making. 

According to the USTA, tennis participation in the U.S. has grown by 54 percent since 2019, with nearly 10 million players coming into the sport over six consecutive years of growth. 

Women have been a significant driver of numbers of late. In 2025 1.1 million more women took to the court than in 2024, representing a 10-percent increase from 2024, the USTA said. 

“This sustained participation growth reflects strong demand for our sport across a diverse range of communities nationwide,” said Brian Vahaly, Chairman of the Board and Interim Co-CEO, USTA. “As we advance toward our goal of 35 million players by 2035, we will continue investing strategically to ensure this momentum translates into sustained participation and a stronger tennis ecosystem. Our goal is to expand access so more people across this country can play the world’s healthiest sport and experience the physical, mental and social benefits it has to offer.”

Notes from USTA on Rise of Tennis Participation

• People are playing more often: “Core players,” defined as individuals who played 10 or more times throughout the year, increased by 1.5 million to 14.5 million in 2025. This means that as overall participation has grown, so has the number of people that are regularly playing tennis, with more than half of all players (53 percent) considered “core players.” This increase also helped drive the more than 616 million play occasions in 2025.
• Women were significant drivers of growth: In 2025 1.1 million more women took to the court than in 2024, representing a 10-percent increase from 2024.
• Participation among people of color experienced significant gains: The number of Black/African Americans playing tennis increased by more than 450,000 (14 percent), Hispanic/Latino players were up more than 550,000 (12 percent) and Asian/Pacific Islander players grew by more than 260,000 (10 percent). All three of these groups represent greater percentage growth than the overall increase.
• More first time players entered the sport: Tennis recorded an uptick in new players entering the sport, with 4.9 million picking up a racquet for the first time – up 9 percent year over year.
• Player retention rates are up: Players also remained in the sport at a higher rate than in 2024, with 20.7 million players staying in the sport, up 10 percent (1.8 million additional players retained) in 2025. In addition, 1.7 million players returned to tennis after having been away from the sport for more than one year.
• Unprecedented intent to play: More than 25 million respondents that currently do not play tennis are very interested in playing the sport. This represents a strong subset of individuals that could shift to a playing population.

Photo: Carmen Mandato/USTA