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Industry News
The 10th Annual TIA Tennis Forum will take place in New York City on Monday morning , Aug . 28 , the first day of play at the 2017 US Open . The Forum will be at a new location — the Intercontinental New York Barclay , the official hotel of the ATP Tour , at Lexington Avenue and 49th Street in New York City . At the Forum , industry executives will present the latest news about the state of the tennis industry , including participation research , equipment sales data , and updates from the TIA and the USTA , including the status of a new youth tennis initiative . The Forum also will outline ways to better define and boost the economic growth and impact of the tennis industry , and effective ways to distribute clear , consistent messaging of health , fitness and the reasons to play tennis . The Forum also will honor the 2017 inductee ( s ) into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame ( to nominate for the TI Hall of Fame , visit TennisIndustry . org / HoF ). Attendees also will receive a summary report on the 2017 State of the Tennis Industry . New this year will be an “ NYC-2017 Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge ,” involving new startup companies and products helping to grow the tennis industry . Companies interested in applying for the NYC-2017 Innovation Challenge should email innovation @ tennisindustry . org for more information . While the 10th Annual TIA Tennis Forum is free to attend , space is limited , so registration is required . Visit TennisIndustry . org to register .
USA Market TIA USA 2016 was particularly challenging for tennis equipment sales , as wholesale shipments for racquets , balls , and strings all declined from the previous year — continuing a slide in equipment retail . Racquets declined in both units , down 9.1 percent , and dollars , down 14.4 percent . Unit sales of youth racquets declined 8.3 percent , balls declined 9.2 percent and low-compression ( red , orange , green ) balls declined 13.4 percent . Championship balls were only down 5 %, which matches the decline in play occasions . Strings provided a bright spot in the fourth quarter , up 8.5 percent in those three months , but that wasn ’ t enough to pull it out of negative territory for the year , down 1.2 percent YTD .
The Industry at a Glance ( 2016 data ) Total Participation 18.08 Million Youth Tennis Participation Ages 6-12 2.36 Million Ages 13-17 2.17 Million Core Tennis Players ( 10 + times a year ) 9.86 Million Cardio Tennis Players 2.12 Million Total Play Occasions 425 Million Manufacturer Year-End Wholesale Shipments ( units ) Tennis Racquets 2.53 Million Tennis Strings 3.11 Million Tennis Balls ( including ROG ) 114.5 Million Red , Orange , Green Balls 4.86 Million
Top-Selling Strings at Specialty Stores By year-to-date units , Jan . -March 2017 1 . Babolat RPM Blast 2 . Wilson NXT 3 . Wilson Sensation 4 . Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex 5 . Luxilon Alu Power