Moving into the New Year

The tennis industry continues to face similar challenges as other industries, due to the challenging economic environment. 2010 started with a short-term business rebound and the positive news regarding 2009 total participation reaching a level not seen in decades and with tennis once again ranked as the fastest growing traditional sport.

However, after this short-term rebound in the first part of 2010, economic growth has slowed and consumers are still delaying or avoiding new product purchase considerations. Through the third quarter of 2010, shipments of racquets, balls and strings have all shown declines in units and dollars vs. 2009.

But our sport is also positioned as one of the few that is growing, and as reported in the Wall Street Journal, tennis is perceived as cool and hip, with a growing media attention base. In addition, our recent TIA Court Activity Monitor survey continues to show increases in new players, leagues and court usage.

A few months ago, the sport¹s governing bodies (the ITF and USTA) passed the landmark rule change regarding 10-and-under tennis that, going forward, will also directly support a much stronger participation effort targeted at youth players. With a primary goal to get 10-and-under new players on the proper pathway to becoming frequent and lifetime players in our sport.

On the following pages, you will find some highlights from the TIA. With the challenging economic environment, we certainly recognize we need to move faster and more directly to support and build our industry from an economic standpoint. During 2010 we focused on more clearly establishing our key platforms that we feel will provide a stronger base of focus to support our industry as we go forward. These platforms are: Frequent Player Growth, Economic Measurements and Growth areas, and stronger Communication & Positioning for our sport and industry.

Moving forward, the TIA is dedicated to promoting the growth and economic vitality of tennis and helping out all sectors of the industry to the overall benefit of our common brand—TENNIS.

Below are just a few of the key efforts:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

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