Towards the beginning of the pandemic, the Texas Medical Association, along with many other health and wellness organizations, released comprehensive lists of the most COVID-19 safe sports. In what may end up being the best thing to ever happen to the tennis, it unanimously ranked at the top. What resulted was a monumental boom in the sport’s popularity.
As a part-time tennis instructor in Southern California—arguably the tennis mecca of the Unites States—I can personally attest to the tennis explosion. From public parks to pay-for-play tennis facilities, there was no such thing as an open court in Los Angeles. Kids who had never touched a tennis racquet were enrolled in private lessons and group clinics. Tournaments and team competition will soon follow. The game has become cool again.
There hasn’t been an American Grand Slam singles champion on the men’s side since Andy Roddick in 2003. No one can predict the future, but did the next great American players take up tennis during the pandemic? There’s no way of knowing for sure, but the math is certainly on our side.