The number of racquets sold at wholesale in the USA in Q4 2022 did not live up to an exceptional 2021. However, with nearly 400,000 new racquets shipped into the market in the final quarter of the year, 2022 still finished with almost 500,000 more racquets sold than in 2019 over the year.

Comparisons with 2021 were always going to be tough. In fact, that year represented a decade high for wholesale racquet unit sales. However, high average sale prices in 2022 do mean that the year finished not far behind 2021 and as the second most lucrative year for wholesale racquet value sales in the last 14 years.

Encouragingly then, the number of tennis balls sold did rise year-over-year in 2022, suggesting that those people who came into the sport during the pandemic are not only continuing to play but are doing so more often – and therefore replacing balls faster.

“Even with the year-over-year racquet drop, these numbers represent another excellent year for the tennis industry,” said SMS USA’s Adam Hile. “Every sport is still in the process of finding a new normal after the pandemic, and that 2022 outpaced pre-pandemic sales should not be taken for granted. It shows the appetite for the sport, and, with young American stars like Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe having had strong 2022 seasons climbing up the rankings, there’s a good opportunity for this to continue to grow in the next few years.”

Since 2003, the quarterly report has aggregated sales numbers provided by the major tennis manufacturers in America and is the trusted record of the number of racquets, balls, and strings shipped to retailers across the USA.

Sports Marketing Surveys USA also monitors sales to consumers through specialty tennis retailers and, through the PAC participation monitor, also supported by the TIA among others, participation in tennis as well as over 100 other sports. The newly released data showed an overall participation increase in sports and fitness activities across America in 2022. The resulting data means SMS USA is uniquely placed to provide a full market assessment.

For more information or to understand how custom research can give you an even deeper understanding of the tennis market, please contact Adam Hile.

adam.hile@sportsmarketingsurveysusa.com

The Tennis Industry Association, originally founded in 1974 as the American Tennis Federation, has been serving the “business of tennis” for over 40 years! Today, TIA is the only trade organization representing all facets of the tennis industry, providing research, collaboration and advocacy to advance the economic vitality of the sport. For more information, visit, www.tennisindustry.org/ 

Sales include U.S. wholesale shipments (sell-in racquets sold from manufacturers to retailers/distributors etc.) Records go back to 2003.