Written By Jeffrey Reed
Baby boomers like me were part of the 1970s tennis boom, fueled greatly by the likes of John McEnroe-Jimmy Connors-Björn Borg and Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova rivalries. Local public tennis courts were booked daily–you needed to wait hours sometimes just to get a court–and everyone seemed to have a wooden racquet in their hands.
Television viewership numbers for the recently-concluded U.S. Open Tennis Championships reached all-time highs, as did online interest via social media. Local retailers and tennis clubs are also reporting renewed interest in the sport during a time which can aptly be called, a new golden age for tennis. Like golf, tennis has experienced one of its biggest participation boosts following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tennis Canada’s 2026 participation study reflects those findings–it reports the sport has experienced significant growth across Canada. In 2025, more than six million Canadians stepped onto the courts–that’s an increase of over one million players since the previous study was conducted in 2023.
In fact, in an era when young people appear to be more glued to their screens than they are gripped by tennis, Tennis Canada’s study indicates that while every generation is fueling the new-found love of the game, young people are driving the surge. In 2025, nearly 37% of Canadians aged 12-17, and 29% of children under 12 played tennis. That’s an increase of 14% and 4% respectively.
“What stands out most in these results is that tennis is not only a sport for everyone but a sport for life,” said Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv. “The growth we’re seeing, combined with the fact that more than half of those who have played (57%) picked up the sport over a decade ago, speaks to tennis’s accessibility and its ability to remain part of people’s lives.”
Ziv said with tennis recognized as one of the most beneficial sports for health, particularly for its “positive impact on life expectancy,” it is encouraging to see more Canadians taking up the game. According to Ziv, “The benefits of this growth for the health and well-being of communities are significant.”
The rise in participation tracks with the success of Canadian players on the international stage, too.
Building on this momentum, Tennis Canada is undergoing a new strategic planning exercise to shape its next long-term development plan. The governing body of the sport in Canada says maintaining and growing participation will be a clear priority.
We’ve come a long way from wooden racquets, but in the end, the game of tennis remains the same, an individual sport (with apologies to doubles players), but one that helps build villages with its myriad of benefits.
Award-winning writer Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980.
He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
