Hispanics playing more tennis

Tennis, anyone? More people saying 'yes'
More Americans are playing tennis, with Hispanics and blacks showing a marked increase.
Washington Post

The U.S. Tennis Association said in a survey released last week that 30.1 million people hit the courts this year. That's a 12 percent increase from 2008 and up 25 percent from six years ago.

The survey showed participation grew in all age groups under 50 and within all ethnic groups. The biggest increases were among Hispanics, with 32 percent more playing the game. Blacks had a 19 percent increase.

There were 7.1 million newcomers to the sport, a 19.5 percent increase from last year.

Regular players, those playing between four and 20 times a year, increased 26 percent this year to 14.8 million.

The sport is doing better at retaining players, with a 6.3 percent increase from the year before. Former players are returning to the game for the third year in a row, with nearly 7 million coming back this year. . . .

Andy Roddick is withdrawing from the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, which begins Sunday in London, because of a left knee injury suffered at last month's Shanghai Masters. The ATP said that French Open runner-up Robin Soderling will take Roddick's spot in the eight-man field. . . .

American Sam Querrey is back practicing for his return to the ATP Tour after he cut two muscles in his right forearm on Sept. 28 after sitting on a glass table that broke in Thailand.