Jessica Pegula agrees with Frances Tiafoe that tennis should probably introduce in at least some ways a basketball-like style in order to reach the younger audience. In 2016, a study found that the average age of an ATP fan in the United States was 61.
Tennis has always been very high on keeping its traditions and etiquette intact but now there are fears that the game is just not appealing to the younger audience. “I think fans should be able to come and go and move around and speak during matches.
Imagine going to a basketball game and not saying anything. Apart from retaining some tradition at Wimbledon, outside that, let’s start changing things to bring younger fans to the game,” Tiafoe told Forbes magazine.
Pegula agrees with Tiafoe’s take
“I mean, I like it.
I’m also, like, one of those people. I don’t really get bothered if people are standing or yelling or talking, not yelling maybe. So I can see how, yeah, that’s a cool way to look at it. I think, yeah, to bring some personality to the sport, I think we have to start looking at some different things to touch a younger generation.
And guys like Foe who have so much personality and so much energy, they love it, and they have such an amazing fan base, and they have so many fans outside of tennis, I feel like because…
