Canadians are picking up their tennis racquets more often, according to a nationwide study by Tennis Canada that found nearly 6.6 million Canadians (18% of the population) played tennis at least once in the past year. Yet Canada has only 750 accessible covered courts. “We need to help facilitate recreational players’ ability to play tennis year-round,” says Michael Downey, president and CEO of Tennis Canada. “In 2019, we will launch a new municipal partnership framework in which we hope to successfully advocate for municipalities across Canada to invest in…affordable and accessible ‘bubbled’ tennis courts in parks.”
How many Canadians play tennis?
4,522,000 Canadians played at least 4 times in the past year
2,936,000 Canadians play once a week during summer
44% Female tennis players
56% Male tennis players
Who plays the most?
8% 6–11 year olds
23% 12–17 year olds
30% 18–34 year olds
26% 35–49 year olds
13% 50+ years old
Out of 14 sports, tennis is ranked 5th in fan interested across Canada
Tennis is most popular in Quebec, ranking 2nd overall after hockey
61% of Canadians play on outdoor public courts
750 covered courts across the country means there is 1 indoor court for every 50,000 Canadians
Sources: Tennis Canada: Canadian Tennis Participation & Interest Study (Charlton Insights, 2018); Covered Courts Program Partnership Assessment (Charlton Insights, 2018); College Sports-related Injuries (Centre for Disease Control & Prevention, 2015); European Tennis Report (International Tennis Federation, 2014)
