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Growing Tennis in an
Ever-Changing Society
Through Creativity and Innovation April 1, 2007 By: Eric Perkins, RTA Past President and Current Member, USTA Rules Committee The USTA recently concluded its Annual Meeting in Tucson, Arizona. The theme during the 5-day gathering focused largely on finding innovative ways to grow the game in a society that is changing dramatically at an ever-increasing rate. All agreed that we are in a period of transformational change, stemming from the the following forces: globalization, innovation, individualization, saturation, and personalization. For tennis to grow, we need to change some deeply ingrained views about our sport. One innovative development in tennis education is known as "Project 36/60," which basically involves carving up an existing tennis court into multiple, smaller courts (the "36/60" refers to the court measurements) allowing more kids to actively participate in drills and games. Check out www.usta.com for more information about this innovative approach to teaching tennis being touted as the "future of teaching entry level tennis." Other recent developments include the increasing popularity of "no cut" high school tennis programs (designed to promote greater participation in high school tennis), up-down/run & roll drills and programs that pair tennis players with wheelchair players on the same court, and "flex" leagues--a new segment of USTA League tennis that effectively gives players total control of scheduling their matches. Online training and education programs are now available through www.usta.com on topics ranging from stroke analysis and technique (breaking down video footage of the top pros frame by frame), starting a new league in your area, running a tennis tournament, etc. Other sessions during the Annual Meeting explored new ways of thinking about the sport and embracing diversity as a means of making tennis a more inclusive sport. Creativity and innovation can be maximized through the interaction of different perspectives and open minds of a diverse group. Several
"firsts" were acknowledged and celebrated with respect to the
U.S. Open: (i) The U.S. Open "franchise" is
considered to be valued in excess of $1 billion, making it one of the
most valubale franchises in sports; (ii) the U.S. Open is the largest
annually attended sporting event in the world; (iii) the U.S. Open
was the first tennis tournament to introduce instant replay; (iv) the
Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, NY is
the first major sports facility in the world named after a woman; (v)
and the U.S. Open offers the largest payout in women's sports history.
These "firsts" were made possible through creativity,
innovation, and continually challenging long-held views of the
sport...themes repeated throughout the Annual Meeting and that can be
applied at the local level and have as much of an impact as they have
had at the national level.
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