Celebrating 20 years with the Tennis Channel community

How best to describe the millions of men and women who comprise the Tennis Channel community? Surely, not merely as viewers. For tennis is a rare sport, its aficionados both spectators and players.

Over the last 20 years, since Tennis Channel first hit the airwaves on May 15, 2003, the rally that takes place between observation and participation has helped create a very deep and powerful level of engagement.

Dig into the Tennis Channel community with the big-screen TV owner who, frequently past midnight, carefully dissects great forehand techniques. Or the woman in the San Francisco Bay Area who, following an afternoon of spirited USTA league competition, watches while on her spin bike. Or her friend who simultaneously bounces on a trampoline while a pro tournament is on. Or a man who closely follows a player ranked outside the Top 30 and often takes in that pro’s matches on Tennis Channel Plus.

Now, broaden the scope beyond personal viewing areas to shared experiences. Recall that once upon a time, the chance to watch pro tennis was scarce, broadcasted moments limited to selected tournaments, at times as little as just one match a day. That all changed two decades ago, increasingly so each year, as Tennis Channel has aired more and more tournaments and events from all corners of the globe. Amid a sport played virtually year-round and accessible nearly round-the-clock, many a facility has at least one large TV set where the network is constantly on.

“Tennis Channel is a communal focal point for our love and interest in tennis,” says Kyle LaCroix, a coach based in Boca Raton, Fla., who is chief education officer at SETS Consulting. “It’s the omnipotent thing in our pro shop. There’s great banter that goes on among all of us.”

“Having it on constantly in the club adds to the atmosphere of what the tennis club is all about,” adds Steve Contardi, operating partner at The Club at Harper’s Point, a Cincinnati-based club. “A number of our members said that without the Tennis Channel during the pandemic, they’d have gone nuts. It filled a certain role with a lot of people.

“It’s always on at least two of the four TVs in lobby, with 35-40 people in there at a time. And with three kids from our town connected to our club–Caty McNally, Peyton Stearns, J.J. Wolf–we can watch them more closely than we could without Tennis Channel.”

Viewers have their distinct habits and rituals. There’s the Tennis Channel viewer who turns it on precisely at 6 a.m. during European events. Another who prefers watching it at the end of the day. Some favor a group experience, hosting a viewing party with friends or an informal moment at their local club where they can talk back to the commentators and issue their own analysis. And then there are those that lean towards deep study–even before a single ball has been hit.

Many times I watch a match that happened a day ago, and don’t care if I know the score.

“I enjoy watching the players when they’re at the coin toss,” says Karen Pape, a fitness trainer based in the Jacksonville area. “Watching their bodies, their interactions, their minds.” Often, she’ll see the entire first set of a match, then come back to study more.

“Many times I watch a match that happened a day ago,” says Pape, “and don’t care if I know the score.”

Ellie Victor, a marketing consultant who lives near Stanford University, often records the action by day. Victor’s friends know her well enough to never reveal any scores. At night, she’ll spend hours taking in the day’s action.

“I like it when the commentators make you feel like you’re beside them watching the match and they can tell you what’s really going on,” she says. “They see things you might not have picked up on. And then I like the little backstories that bring the match to life.”

And the great news is that those who have been part of Tennis Channel’s community these last two decades have been part of an amazing series of stories. When the network began in May 2003, Venus and Serena Williams were at the height of their powers, the sisters having played one another in four straight Grand Slam singles finals. At Roland Garros the next month, doubles stars Bob and Mike won their first of a men’s record 16 shared majors. July at Wimbledon saw Roger Federer’s first Grand Slam triumph. Just under two years later marked the same for Rafael Nadal in Paris. And in January 2008, Novak Djokovic broke through with a title run at the Australian Open. In less than five years, Tennis Channel viewers had the chance to take in everything from the sustained dominance of the Williams sisters to the emergence of the most-accomplished men’s doubles team to the ascent of the Big 3.

The great tennis played by these legends has provided tremendous entertainment value.

“To me, every match is a story,” says Victor. “It’s the classic hero’s journey. What are the key turning points that changed the match? It could be a strategy. It could be the weather. It could be a fan. It could be the crowd. It could be anything.”

In turn, many members of the Tennis Channel community draw on these tales and techniques to improve their own tennis journey. Says LaCroix, “Sometimes during a lesson, I will take a break and we’ll watch points on TV.”

Though LaCroix’s students are often drawn to smooth players such as Federer, his preference as an instructor is different.

“I want them to study someone who’s a little more blue-collar, like Nadal. You can see more of what he’s doing–defense, offense, coming to net. It was a lot more visual. You could you feel it through the TV screen.”

“Watching tennis on TV can be like a clinic,” says Contardi. “But don’t just watch the strokes. Watch the footwork–how the best players in the world continually move their feet and recover.”

“I regularly hit with a kid who really loves tennis and is constantly seeking ways to improve,” says Andrea Barnes, a longstanding San Francisco Bay Area-based instructor who estimates she watches Tennis Channel anywhere from 12 to 20 hours a week. “So we’ll talk about a match that’s been on TV and discuss how the point was constructed.”

Exercise. Players. Matches. Moments. Instruction. Entertainment. All of it adds up to powerful community. Most of all, Tennis Channel viewers are participants, fully immersed in the sport they love.