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Sunday, June 15, 2003

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Where have all the tennis players gone, long time ago? That's a question the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Tennis Industry have been trying to answer since the tennis boom faded nearly 20 years ago. Courts that once were packed with players often are deserted today, with surfaces cracked, weeds growing and nets either tattered or missing.

There have been studies, and more studies, over the past two decades that try to pinpoint the rise and fall of the sport. The USTA/TIA recently released its most recent survey that revealed the number of players new to the game are offset by the numbers of those who no longer play.

Tennis players are defined as those 6 years or older who have played at least once in the past year. The survey doesn't differentiate between beginners and advanced players.

Here are some of the findings:

There are 23.5 million Americans who played tennis at least once in the past 12 months, with the participation holding steady over the past three years.

The most notable growth in participation can be found in new players under the age of 18, African-Americans and Hispanics.

The U.S. tennis population can be broken down into three categories: 5.1 million new players, 13.3 million players who have continued to participate over the years and 5.1 million players who have returned to the courts after being away from the game for at least a year.

The most alarming number for the USTA is the 20 million players who used to play regularly but no longer do. The USTA offers numerous clinics and programs geared to either introducing or re-introducing players to the game.

The state with the most tennis players is California, with 3.12 million. Next is New York (1.79 million), followed by Florida (1.4), Texas (1.27) , Illinois (1.14) and Pennsylvania (1.10).

Pennsylvania is tied for 13th with 9.7 percent of the population having played tennis at least once in the past year. New Jersey leads at 13.1 percent.

A league of its own

It started 50 years ago by a group of women who got together on a regular basis to play tennis. Never could they imagine that it would have grown and become what it is today, an organized team- tennis league competing in the Greater Pittsburgh area and comprised of 1,000 women between the ages of 19 and 80 representing private clubs and public parks throughout the district.

The competitors range from beginning to advanced levels and everything in between.

The Pittsburgh Tennis League, founded in 1953 by Vee Toner, Joy Liken, Lillian Geyer, Janet Thomas and others, officially will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the annual Awards Dinner Sept. 12 at Chartiers Country Club.

Carol Lang is vice president and coordinator of the event and Eugenia Brandemartes is coordinator of the 50th anniversary committee.

In addition to providing competition, the PTL works with the USTA in promoting its Grassroots and USA Tennis 1-2-3 programs that help conduct clinics and programs throughout the country to promote the game.

Campus courts

IUP's women's coach Tony Medvetz was named the NCAA Division II East Region Coach of the Year by Wilson and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. He led IUP to a 14-4 record in dual matches in 2002-03, an appearance in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament for the third consecutive year and a spot in the championship match of the NCAA East Regional for the second consecutive year.

In four seasons at IUP, Medvetz has a 43-15 record. He also was the head coach at Indiana High School, where his boys' and girls' teams combined for a 48-8 record from 1986-89.

Medvetz will be the director of a camp for boys and girls between the ages of 9-18 at IUP, July 14-18. For more information call Medvetz, 724-357-2462.