It's the Emma Raducanu effect! Tennis sensation sparks wave of interest in racquet sports

Her spellbinding victory at last year’s US Open inspired thousands of youngsters to take up tennis.

But the ‘Emma Raducanu effect’ has left clubs across the country scrambling to find coaches, with some having waiting lists of a year.

Raducanu, 19, who is now No 12 in the world, honed her skills at the Parklangley Club in Beckenham, south-east London, from the age of six.

Emma Raducanu (pictured), 19, who is now No 12 in the world, honed her skills at the Parklangley Club in Beckenham, south-east London, from the age of six

And perhaps unsurprisingly, the club’s training programme is now full.

However, the rise in tennis’s popularity comes after more than 600 instructors left the profession across Britain during the first lockdown.

And while many have returned – figures from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) show that as of January it had 5,710 registered coaches in the UK, nearly 60 more than before the pandemic – it is not enough to keep up with demand.

Dan Travis, 50, founder of Tennis Tigers, which runs classes in Hove, East Sussex, said he has a waiting list of 60.

‘I’ve been doing this job all my life and I’ve never seen demand like this. We are having to turn down schools who want several more hours,’ he told The Sunday Times.

Raducanu at the 2022 Australian Open last month. Her spellbinding victory at last year’s US Open inspired thousands of youngsters to take up tennis

Tennis teachers earn £20 to £40 an hour, depending on experience, but hours and the amount of work available varies.

Around 80 per cent of coaches are self-employed and the pandemic increased uncertainty about the availability of work.

Merlin Van de Braam, LTA head of coaching, said: ‘We do know coaches were leaving the industry during lockdown.

Anecdotally, we knew of coaches that ended up working in vaccine centres, in logistics and operations and the delivery industry.

‘It was a bit of a perfect storm. There was also a period of time when nobody could qualify at all.

‘I think the recent surge in tennis demand has definitely put pressure on recruitment but it’s a good problem to have, because it is a socially distanced sport I think people are flocking to that.’