Tennis Shoes Statistics

Posted on 08 August, 2023 by Brenton Barker

As the 4th most popular sport in the world with over a billion fans, interest in tennis never seems to wane. The tennis shoe market reflects this excitement perfectly, with healthy growth from all segments.

 Top tennis shoes statistics

  • The global tennis shoes market size was valued at $2.5 billion in 2021.
  • The market is projected to reach $3.6 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 3.3% from 2022 to 2031.
  • Hard-court tennis shoes contributed $ 1.26B in 2021, accounting for 51% of tennis shoe revenue. This strength is attributable to the availability of hard courts as playing areas.
  • Grass-court tennis shoes are expected to have the highest growth among categories with a CAGR of 10.3%, but it will still contribute only 4% of sales in 2031.
  • Specialty shops generated $ 1.60B in sales in 2021 - the most out of any channel.
  • Specialty shops’ share of 64% in 2021 is expected to drop to 60% in 2031 with the growth of e-commerce channel shares.
  • Men’s tennis shoes accounted for $ 1.25B in revenue in 2021 - a figure that’s projected to grow by 41.6% between 2021 and 2031.
  • Men’s tennis shoes share leadership of 50% in 2021 is expected to drop by 1%, while women’s tennis shoes shares at 44% in 2021 are expected to increase by 2%.

Tennis shoe market revenue by surface

  • Hard-court tennis shoes have generated $ 1.26B in revenue in 2021 and are expected to grow by 46.8% in the next 10 years, reaching $1.85B in 2031.
  • The clay-court tennis shoes market is sized at $1.18B in 2021 and is projected to grow to $ 1.61B by 2031.
  • Grass-court tennis shoes sales in 2021 are at $ 0.06B and are expected to reach $ 0.14B in 2031.
  • A 4.8% CAGR in hard-court tennis shoes is expected between 2021 and 2031.
  • Clay-court tennis shoes are projected to have the lowest growth among the three categories. However, consistent growth is still expected at 4.0% CAGR.
  • Grass court tennis shoes are expected to have the fastest growth at 10.3% CAGR (2021-2031), but will still have a relatively small market share by 2031 (4%).

Revenue (in $ million)

2021

2031

CAGR 

Hard Court

$1,264

$1,853

4.8%

Clay Court

$1,180

$1,607

4.0%

Grass Court

$57

$140

10.3%

Total

$2,501

$3,600

4.6%

  • Hard-court tennis shoes dominated the market with a 51% share in 2021. This share is expected to be maintained until 2031 because hard courts are the most cost-efficient and available surface to play on.
  • Clay-court tennis shoes had a share of 47% in 2021, expected to drop by 2% in the next decade.
  • Grass-court tennis shoes accounted for 2% of the tennis shoe market in 2021, expected to double to 4% by 2031 at the expense of clay-court shoes.

Market Share

2021

2031

Hard Court

51%

51%

Clay Court

47%

45%

Grass Court

2%

4%

Tennis shoe market revenue by channel

  • Specialty stores contribute the largest amount of revenue to the tennis shoe market, generating $ 1.60B in 2021 which is expected to grow to $ 2.17B in 2031.
  • The sales of tennis shoes from e-commerce channels are expected to jump from $ 0.39B in 2021 to $ 0.69B in 2031.
  • Supermarket & hypermarket tennis shoe sales are expected to grow from $ 0.15B to $ 0.23B (53% growth) between 2021 and 2031.
  • Other channels account for $ 0.36B in tennis shoe revenue in 2021, projected to reach $ 0.52B in 2031.
  • Specialty shops post the slowest growth of tennis shoe sales, reflecting a CAGR of 3.2% in 2021-2031 versus the average of 3.8%
  • E-commerce sales have the fastest growth with a CAGR of 5.8% from 2021-2031.
  • Supermarket & Hypermarket sales grow quickly with a CAGR of 4.7% between 2021 and 2031.
  • Other channel tennis shoe sales match the growth of the industry at 3.8% between 2021 and 2031.

Revenue (in $ million)

2021

2031

CAGR

Specialty Shops

$1,599

$2,166

3.2%

E-Commerce

$395

$687

5.8%

Supermarket / Hypermarket

$146

$229

4.7%

Others

$360

$518

3.8%

Total

$2,500

$3,600

3.8%

Revenue of the tennis shoe market by sales channel

  • Specialty stores are the most common channel from which tennis players buy tennis shoes, accounting for 64% in terms of 2021 revenue because of the store experience, the availability of complementary products, and promotions.
  • E-commerce is expected to eat up some specialty store shares, reaching 19% in 2031 from only 16% in 2021.
  • Supermarket & hypermarket tennis shoe shares are expected to stagnate between 2021 and 2031.
  • Other channel tennis shoe shares are projected to remain the same between 2021 and 2031.

Market Share of Tennis Shoes by Sales Channel

Market Share

2021

2031

Specialty Shops

64%

60%

E-Commerce

16%

19%

Supermarket / Hypermarket

6%

6%

Others

14%

14%

Market share by sales channel of tennis shoes

Tennis shoe market revenue by demographic 

  • Men’s tennis shoes generate the most revenue among any demographic with sales of $ 1.25B in 2021 and $ 1.77B in 2031.
  • Women’s tennis shoes are expected to grow from $ 1.11B in 2021 to $ 1.65B in 2031, posting a growth of 48.6% within the period.
  • Children’s tennis shoes sales were at $ 0.14B in 2021. The segment is expected to increase to $ 0.18B by 2031.
  • Men’s tennis shoes’ CAGR of 3.5% between 2021 and 2031 is slower than the industry average (3.8%).
  • Women’s tennis shoes are expected to grow slightly faster (4.1%) than the industry, explaining the growth in shares.
  • Children’s tennis shoes post the lowest CAGR among all demographic groups - only 2.5% between 2021 and 2031.

Revenue (in $ million

2021

2031

CAGR

Male

$1,252

$1,767

3.5%

Female

$1,108

$1,654

4.1%

Child

$140

$178

2.5%

Total

$2,500

$3,600

3.8%

Market revenue of tennis shoes by gender

  • Men’s tennis shoes are expected to retain share leadership throughout the period, losing only 1% of shares.
  • The women’s category is a close second at 44% in 2021 and will inch closer to the men’s category, reaching 46% in 2031.
  • Children’s tennis shoes, which provided 6% of the revenues in 2021, are expected to contribute a lower percentage of sales by 2031 (5%).

Market Share of Tennis Shoes by Demographic

Market Share

2021

2031

Male

50%

49%

Female

44%

46%

Child

6%

5%

Market share of tennis shoes by gender

Top 75 ATP-ranked players and their shoe sponsors

  • Nike sponsors the most Top 75 ATP-Ranked players versus other brands with 15
  • Nike is able to sponsor 6 out of the top 10 ranked players
  • ASICS is a close second, sponsoring 14 Top 75 ATP-Ranked Players
  • There’s a steep drop in number of sponsorships of remaining brands with Yonex leading the way with 6 sponsored players, with Adidas, K-Swiss and Lotto each having 5.
  • Other brands (Lacoste, Fila, New Balance, Joma, Diadora, Mizuno, Wilson, Le Coq Sportif, On, Under Armour, Head) have 3 or less signed players.
  • Only 4 out of the top 75 ATP-ranked tennis players are either unsigned or don’t have disclosed shoe sponsors.
  • Most commonly worn shoe line among the top 20 ATP-Ranked Players is the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Pro line, worn by 6 players (combined Vapor Pro and Vapor Pro 2).
  • 3 of the top 20 ATP-Ranked players wear the Adidas Barricade.
  • 2 of the top 20 ATP-Ranked players wear the ASICS Court FF line. The same goes for the Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion line.

Brand

Players Sponsored

Nike

15

ASICS

14

Yonex

6

Adidas

5

K-Swiss

5

Lotto

5

Lacoste

3

Fila

3

New Balance

2

Joma

2

Diadora

2

Mizuno

2

Wilson

2

Le Coq Sportif

2

On

1

Under Armour

1

Head

1

Undisclosed

4

Shoe brands of top75 tennis players

Top 75 WTA-ranked players and their shoe sponsors

  • Nike has the most top 75 WTA-ranked players sponsored with 14.
  • Adidas follows with 10 sponsored players.
  • Lotto and ASICS follows with 8, while Fila has 6 sponsored players.
  • Other brands (Joma, Wilson, K-Swiss, Yonex, New Balance, On, EA7, Mizuno, Diadora) have 4 or less sponsored players.
  • 10 Top 75 WTA-ranked players are either unsigned or have not declared their shoe sponsors publicly.
  • There’s no dominant brand in the top 10.
  • The Adidas Barricade is the most commonly used shoe by the top 20 WTA-Ranked Players with 4 users.
  • The Nike Air Zoom Pro line (inclusive of Pro and Pro 2) is used by 4 of the top 20 WTA-Ranked Players.
  • The Adidas Avacourt and the ASICS Solution Speed FF 2 both have 2 players each from the top 20 WTA-ranked players.

Brand

Players Sponsored

Nike

14

Adidas

10

Lotto

8

ASICS

8

Fila

6

Joma

4

Wilson

3

K-Swiss

3

Yonex

3

New Balance

2

On

1

EA7

1

Mizuno

1

Diadora

1

Undisclosed

10

Shoe brands of top75 WTA players

Tennis shoe facts

  • Tennis shoes usually wear out after 45-60 hours of use, equivalent to about 1 shoe per year for those who play one hour per week.
  • In a singles match, a tennis shoe runs for an average of 3 miles due to the width of the court.
  • Grass-court tennis shoes usually have nubs that help grip the slippery court.
  • Clay-court tennis shoes are usually mud-resistant, have high levels of lateral support, and grip well.
  • Hard-court tennis shoes need sturdy outsoles because of the tough court.
  • Tennis shoes were originally called plimsolls in 1892 - these became the prototype for sneakers.
  • Keds is the oldest tennis shoe brand.
Author
Brenton Barker
Brenton Barker
Brenton is an Australian with 20 years of experience coaching WTA and ATP professional tennis players, whom have won a total of 10 international professional Tournaments. Brenton holds a Degree in Sports Coaching and was the former Head Tennis Coach at the Japanese Government Sports Science Institute. Brenton was also a former Manager & Head Coach of Australia’s Governing Sporting Body, Tennis Australia, and has been a Dunlop International Advisory Board Member since 2010. Additionally, Brenton was the Head of Player development for World No 7 and two-time Grand Slam Champion Johan Kriek.