Ranking The UK’s Top Tennis Cities

Article By Jamie Casey

Last Updated: 14 Mar 2024

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The tennis calendar is full of first-class events that pit the sport’s greatest stars against each other for huge winnings and priceless silverware.

But few tournaments, if any, match the prestige of Wimbledon, which draws annual attention from sports fans around the globe.

In fact, according to Google search trends, global interest around the term ‘tennis’ peaks in June and July each year.

But in which UK city are you most likely to catch tennis fever, and which region is most likely to produce the next Cameron Norrie or Emma Raducanu?

We’ve delved deep into the data to reveal the UK’s highest rated tennis cities, based on the number of clubs and courts, as well as the cost to hire a court and your chance of finding a vacant venue.

The UK’s Highest Rated Tennis Cities

Comparing an array of factors, including the number of venues, clubs and courts within a five-mile radius of the city center, as well as the average hourly cost of hiring a court, we can reveal the UK cities that are craziest about tennis.

London

With an incredible 117 dedicated tennis venues and 633 individual courts within the city’s boundaries, London is officially the UK’s top tennis city - which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering that it’s home to one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments in Wimbledon!

However, while London earns an overall index score of 51.79 for its impressive number of venues, finding a vacant court might be a little more difficult; with a population of nearly nine million, there’s just 1.31 tennis venues per 100,000 people.

Newport

Ranked as the UK’s second city when it comes to tennis, we head to Newport in Wales, which records an overall index score of 49.05. Home to 9 tennis venues and 48 individual courts, Newport boasts 34.92 clubs per 100,000 people who live there – although the sky-high average hourly rental price (£17.50) means it costs a small fortunate to hire a court for the day in Newport.

Perth

The third-highest scoring UK city, and Scotland’s top entry, Perth records an index score of 46.94. With 21.08 venues per 100,000 residents within five miles of the city center, and an average court hire cost of just £5 per hour, Perth is the place to be if you’re going to be the next Andy Murray.

Cambridge

Ranking fourth, we have the city of Cambridge (44.12), famed for its academia and university – and now tennis! It costs locals an average of just £5.08 per hour to hire one of the 120 courts in Cambridge, which is excellent value considering nearby Colchester charges a whopping £25 per hour.

Nottingham

In fifth, we have the East Midlands’ Nottingham, with an overall index score of 43.40, largely thanks to the high number of tennis courts within a five-mile radius of the city center – an impressive 206. With a population of 311.8k, that’s nearly 15 tennis venues per 100,000 locals.

Winchester

Hampshire’s Winchester places just outside the top five places, with an index score of 40.86. However, with 12 venues and 50 courts between the 48.5k residents, Newport is the only UK city to have more tennis clubs per 100,000 locals.

Chichester

Heading to West Sussex, Chichester (40.08) ranks as the seventh best place in the UK to catch tennis fever. Despite the relatively small population of just 31.8k people, Chichester boasts 35 individual courts and six tennis clubs – that’s 18.85 per 100,000 residents.

Norwich

With an index score of 39.73, Norwich ranks eight on our index, placing it among the best UK cities to catch tennis fever. The Norfolk city is home to 118 separate courts and 12 tennis clubs; and at just £5.50 per hour, on average, heading out for an evening or weekend rally won’t cost the world.

Edinburgh

Scotland’s second entry comes through the country’s capital city Edinburgh, which receives an index score of 38.35. However, while there are 43 tennis clubs and 291 courts across the city, with a population of nearly half a million, that’s just 8.81 per 100,000 people – fewer than all cities bar London in our top ten.

Lichfield

Rounding out the top ten UK cities to catch tennis fever, we have Staffordshire’s Lichfield, with an index score of 36.73. Impressively, in what is a relatively small city, Lichfield is home to a respectable 23.66 tennis venues per 100,000 residents.

With Novak Djokovic recently winning his seventh Wimbledon title, attention now turns to the US Open and the final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis calendar.

Methodology

To determine the UK’s top tennis cities, we created an index that considered five key factors with an individual weighting of 20.

Tennis Court Cost

The average cost to rent a tennis court for one hour on the weekend, as per Numbeo.

Tennis Venues Within 5 Miles

The amount of tennis facilities within a five-mile radius of the city, as per LTA.

Tennis Courts Within 5 Miles

The amount of individual tennis courts within a five-mile radius of the city, as per LTA.

Tennis Venues Within 5 Miles (Per 100,000 of Population)

The amount of tennis facilities within a five-mile radius of the city, against the overall population of the city.

Tennis Courts Within 5 Miles (Per 100,000 of Population)

The amount of individual tennis courts within a five-mile radius of the city, against the overall population of the city.

To create the ranking, we combined the score of each factor to get a final index score out of 100. The higher the score, the better the city for tennis.