While our ability to play tennis in these trying times may differ, one thing is for sure. – (Impacting) Tennis is back and is here to stay.

I was forced to take a short break from tennis, while I was only able to play tennis for a couple of months in the last year, while at the same time also finishing my engineering master’s thesis. Now that my focus is back to tennis, and optimism is present, while we can watch the 2021 Australian Open with spectators present, I can say that tennis is back and here to stay.

Furthermore, let me point out something that might not seem so obvious at first sight. The year 2020 was actually good for tennis. While using the word »good« and 2020 in the same sentence might seem contradictory, as many sectors and people struggled, tennis actually experienced a boom. 

The tennis rackets sales and interest for sport is up. Comparing the end of 2019 with the end of 2020, tennis racket sales in the US were up 37.7 %, while the sales of entry-level rackets were up 40, 9 %.

Tennis is uniquely positioned to offer a safe environment for everyone who wants to stay physically and socially active, while still maintaining precautions to stop the spread of infectious diseases. The only possible point of contact, when proper precautions are used, is the ball. While there is no evidence that Covid-19 can be transmitted by touching tennis balls, it’s still advised to maintain sanitary precautions.

In light of this, I have confidence, that tennis will return stronger than ever. For now, enjoy the 2021 AO and expect some new articles, videos and even first products and services from Impacting Tennis.