Hello dear readers, friends, and racket sports enthusiasts.

Our rebranding to Racket Business has allowed us to better cater to those primarily involved in racket clubs, whether as workers, managers, or owners and this continues in Issue 2 (No.125 for Tennis Club Business).

In this edition, we present a compelling selection of topics.

Our American readers will particularly find interest in our ongoing coverage of the USTA and its various sections. We have uncovered revealing insights into the behind-the-scenes happenings of the organization. Recently, the CEO disclosed that a staggering 98% of adults in the United States who took up tennis during the Covid pandemic have already abandoned the sport indefinitely. This revelation has led him to the conclusion that investing resources to attract new players is a futile endeavor. Instead, he says, the focus should be on retaining existing participants. The irony of the situation is undeniable, and it serves to further corroborate our assertion over the past five years that the TIA's reported participation figures are entirely flawed. For a more detailed exploration of this topic, please refer to our Publisher's Notes section.

We are pleased to learn that our newsletter is regularly read by all members of the USTA Board, their executives, and a majority of the section leadership. We are grateful for your continued support and engagement. (Oh, hold that thought, only two USTA section executives, one ex-CEO, and one national Board member have ever communicated with us since the infamous tag team GS and KK issued the Fatwa against us at the 2019 Annual Meeting: Ignore the noise!)

Rod Heckelman explores the notion that new computerized R2D2 ball machines may soon replace all human interaction on a tennis court. Gary Horvath sinks his teeth in the USTA CEO’s proclamation to have 35 million U.S. tennis players by 2035 (while at the same time planning to not spend a dime for getting new players into our sport. Hu?) Did he just say that to make US Open sponsors and advertisers happy so they don’t abandon tennis amid dismal TV viewership numbers?

Our friend Susan Nardi sent us a letter about Gary Horvath’s last month article about tennis participation in the parks. This woman knows what she’s talking about.

So much more. Enjoy!

Rich & Tim

Please note that all of our content is created by human professionals. While we utilize Generative AI technology to assist in correcting syntax and grammar, our articles are written entirely by our team of experts. We value the expertise and creativity of our human writers in delivering high-quality content to our readers. 

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