Just look at the demographics from the American men’s tennis. Rich spoiled kids. Enough said 😬

The main way I used to feel like tennis was a sport of privilege was when I was in high school I was very invested in tennis. I loved it, played as much as I possibly could, and desperately wanted to get better and better. I went to a big public high school and had a coach that just didn't care, and sometimes he didn't even show up to practice. So I had to learn to get better on my own. Then when we would go to bigger tournaments I could see the difference between my abilities and technique compared to some other players who clearly had more formal coaching and training. I remember feeling so jealous that some kids were able to get that kind of training and reach another level that wasn't able to reach on my own. I still went on to become the #1 boy at my school which was a big goal of mine, but I wanted to do more than that.

On a recreational level, not sport privileged. But on pro level you need a lot money

My family was poor and was under political oppression at the time so when I told my dad that I'm interested to play tennis during elementary school, he told me that I'll never be good at playing tennis and the family can't afford it anyway. So no tennis racquet for me! Hence I didn't start learning to play until in my 40s in the U.S. and I appreciated the group lessons from the local park rec, even though it was pretty bad instructions that I had to undo later. Now it motivates me to improve both technically & mentally in tennis & in life. I also volunteer as an assistant coach at the local high school tennis team. Still, I get really upset for players that smash their racquets when they can be donated to others.

From an old-timer's perspective, it's less of a status thing than it used to be. Some public schools have great programs, but in my experience they're few and far between across the country, especially compared to traditional team sports. I think most kids from less advantaged homes have a better chance of getting good at team sports than they do at tennis.

An old coach I used to work with was a top Junior in Australia and growing up never lost to Wayne Arthurs, and because he couldn’t afford to travel and gain points he ended up watching someone he was always better than win a Davis Cup with Australia in 2003 from a pub

I stock groceries part time to pay for my tennis lessons

The best tennis lessons I've had are from top tennis training on youtube. Simon is an absolute boss

Definitely public courts and walls attract people to play tennis regardless of their social level! For a world with more public tennis courts and walls 💪🏻

My local OTA tennis club (in Canada) is $184 a year for membership, and leagues cost a one time fee of $10 each. There are weekly group lessons that cost $40 a month. It's a pretty sweet deal. However, all we get are some outdoor hard courts that we can only use 6 months (if you're very lucky) out of the year, and the "clubhouse" is just a couple bathrooms, a tiny kitchen, and some room for storage and stringing.

I work in tennis in the Northern Virginia area and we have a summer league with all the local swim clubs. Its great because it gets kids onto the court for about a month and competing with their peers without long travel times. It simulates the little league baseball environment, and what I tell parents is that this is just a fun way to get exercise in the summer and then guide kids towards lessons/tournaments/hitting partners as their passion for the sport grows. In my opinion this is the best way to broaden the appeal of tennis, but unfortunately there is no money in that introductory step of the pyramid so a lot of people just use it as a way to pimp their private lessons/clinics.

I grew up similar where I played at the local park. Got into tennis watching Sampras and Agassi. My first club experience wasn’t until I joined works tennis club and I played at a club. Now my kids are playing tennis and when I have them take weekly private lessons I sit in the lesson and take homework tips to work with my kids. Then throughout the week I practice various drills with my kids.

I grew up in South Carolina in a school district where boys tennis wasn't a big deal. Basically anyone could walk-on at my school (I was in high school 2006-2010). You could also make use of outdoor public courts 10-11 months of the year and there were teaching pros that did small group or clinic lessons for 10-20 dollars a pop. Obviously the juniors who were super serious about tournaments paid a lot more than that, but it was pretty accessible for lower middle class families, and a lot of kids (myself included) did it in addition to music or other activities, at least until high school when time demands for any one activity got high enough that you kinda had to choose (and I didn't choose tennis because I found marching band a lot more mentally and emotionally healthy for me at that age).

We sip champagne during changeovers at my club, cheers

In my opinion what makes tennis different is a combination of two things. First it absolutely sucks to be bad at tennis. The sport is completely unenjoyable for most people if the only way that you can get the ball to the other side of the Court is by tapping it. Until you are good enough to have a rally the sport is basically unplayable. This wouldn't be a problem if there was any reason to want to play tennis. I'm speaking as an American, but no one is going to give you shit for not liking tennis and for the most part no one's going to give you props for being good at tennis. So where is the motivation to push past the initial learning curve? That's why private lessons seem to be so important for tennis. Because unless you have a professional to guide you through the part where you suck it just isn't worth sweating it out by yourself especially as a kid

I just discovered this talks. So down to earth and unique to here from all three of you.I do not think i ever saw something like this.I see this was published year ago but definitely we need more of those. Great videos.

Great podcast, guys. I'm from Chile and here tennis is quite less accessible than in the States. In my town, there aren't really public courts and just 3 tennis clubs (small town). Fortunately, I can afford playing in one club but it's not possible for everybody. Keep up the great work!

I think becoming an decent/above average player in tennis is pretty affordable with a some effort and time, assuming your area have free courts. Obviously private lessons could speedup the process but it's not an absolute requirement.

As a recreational activity, tennis isn't a privilege sport at all whereas golf is a privilege sport. Tennis racket from costco is <$50; A set of non-brand name golf clubs from costco is still at least $200. Tennis court is free and balls is <$5 a can; public/municipal golf course costs about $30-70 a round depends on which state you're in and a bucket of practice golf balls is around $11-$15 at a municipal driving range. Tennis is cheap even compared to swimming. To swim in a pool, for the most part people need to join a premium gym with a swimming pool. However, if we are talking about nurturing children in a competitive environment, then tennis, golf and swimming are all sports of privilege, no debate needed. Hockey is too if you are not in the states with colder climate. The cost of coaching in these sports are very prohibitive for lower income families. In contrary, mainstream sports like football, basketball, soccer and baseball with their respective little league and school teams are very assessible for most families in the States.

High performance coaching it is really expensive. I disagree with generalizing that all sport are expensive. Just look at demographics of football and basketball. There is a reason of why you get a bigger pool of athletes, not all but a lot has to do with cost. In tennis,For kids trying to go to a top a Div 1 or be a nationally rank junior player you better have some money or great coaching connections that’s in addition to talent. It is tough to get consistent hight performance coaching and competition at a public facility. My dream had always been to develop an academy at poorer neighborhoods to include high performance training. I think Agassi did something like that in Vegas. It is really a tough sport to break out if your family does not have the financial means. And if you don’t have the means the kid better be a prodigy that can attract the Evert, IMG, Macci. But if you are just good, good luck