New focus on beginners boosts numbers

LONDON: Following its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s when players such as John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova helped to boost the popularity of the game, tennis saw a decade of decline or flat growth.

A fresh focus on how the sport is taught to beginners, using slower balls, and a push to expand grassroots programs have revived participation and the number of people playing tennis worldwide has increased significantly over the last few years.

"Tennis is growing because we're changing the way the game is being taught at starter level," said David Miley, director of tennis development at the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the sport's world governing body.