ITF Press Release, November 28, 2024

106 million people around the world are playing tennis – an increase of 25.6% in five years – according to a comprehensive study released today by the sport’s global governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The 2024 ITF Global Tennis Report found an increase of 21.6 million people played a game of tennis in the last year compared with 84.4 million recorded in the 2019 ITF Global Tennis Report, prior to the global pandemic.

By region, Asia reported the most people playing tennis, with 35.3 million taking part which accounts for 33.4% of the world’s tennis-playing population. Asia is followed by Europe which has 29.6 million players (27.9%) and North America which has 28.8 million (27.2%). South America has 8.8 million players (8.3%), Oceania 1.8 million (1.7%), Africa 892,000 (0.8%) and Central America & Caribbean 665,000 (0.6%).

Core reasons identified by the ITF’s national members for this surge are:

• An increase in tennis’ popularity playing through into participation,

• Dedicated growth strategies led by National Tennis Associations around the world in partnership with the ITF; and

• Role models who are helping to inspire the next generation of players nationally or globally, such as Qinwen Zheng (China), Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), Naomi Osaka (Japan) and Jannik Sinner (Italy).

• All underpinned by investment into the game and its infrastructure, including courts and coaches.

The number of tennis coaches has increased by 13.6%, with more than 175,000 coaches now working worldwide [2019: 154,367]. This rise reflects the need for qualified instructors to both encourage and accommodate the influx of new players, ensuring training is available across all levels of the sport.

Investment into rigorous global data collection in 199 nations has gone into producing the third edition of the ITF Global Tennis Report – the only study of its kind – which aims to provide a clearer picture of tennis participation worldwide and forms a basis for decision-making, as part of the ITF’s mission to grow and develop the game all over the world.

ITF President, David Haggerty, said: “These encouraging figures, coming out of our latest Global Tennis Report, highlight tennis as one of the most popular sports played and enjoyed worldwide.

“More players, playing more often; this is what we do. The significant growth in participation reflects the proactive and sustained efforts of National Associations, supported by the ITF as the global guardians of the game, to expand tennis in a strategic and inclusive manner, and in all corners of the globe.  

“The Report is the only one of its kind, providing an up-to-date and in-depth picture of the global tennis community. The report confirms we are a sport in good shape, with millions worldwide enjoying the health and social benefits it brings.”