Understanding how the Costs of Tennis Affect the Composition of Players

Studies the cost of tennis for young players—such as equipment, lessons, tournaments, etc.—and understanding the financial barriers they impose, and how that affects the composition of players. Tennis is an expensive sport with high costs to entry—competitive players require coaching, equipment wears out quickly, traveling to tournaments is both time-consuming and expensive, and tennis academies do not have financial aid but are as expensive as boarding schools. These factors, along with the fact that few professional tennis players are people of color, disproportionately affect low income communities, especially for non-white players. Provides clarity about the magnitude of the effect, how that influences the tennis circuit, and what can be done to change tennis culture.