Is It a Tennis Takeover? Exploring the Sport’s Rising Popularity

Harry Sadoun Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

In April,  the highly anticipated movie "Challengers" premiered, featuring superstar Zendaya. This romantic comedy has shed a new light on tennis, making it the perfect sport to consider if you're in the market for a new hobby. So here at Vegas Insider, we decided to investigate how much tennis has been on our minds lately. By tracking tennis-related search terms over the past thirty days, we were able to do a deep dive into how Tennis has been taking over the world’s Google search history globally and in the U.S.

With over 1.2 million searches in the last 30 days, tennis has captured the attention of many current and future tennis enthusiasts. However, if you're not among them, feel free to explore our Best Online Casinos and Best Online Casino Bonus Codes.

Tennis Global Influence on Women’s Fashion

Over the last 30 days, the terms "tennis dress" and "tennis skirt" have received a combined total of 116,597 Google searches worldwide. When you compare the highest number of searches between the two terms “tennis dress” and “tennis skirt”, “tennis skirt” received 19% more Google searches globally and when comparing the lowest number of searches “tennis dress” received about 38% less Google searches than “tennis skirt” globally. "Tennis dress" had the lowest peak out of all the terms, with a high of 2,305 in the second week of May and the lowest of searches at 1,152 just a week before the Challengers movie. That’s about a 100% increase in May for “tennis dress” compared to its lowest Google search day before the premiere. Interestingly, the day after the release of "Challengers" (April 22rd), searches for "tennis dress" were surprisingly low at 1,406. On the other hand, "tennis skirt" demonstrated a stronger preference, with a peak of 2,751 searches three days before the premiere and a low of 1,595 two days after the premiere. That’s about a 72% decrease in Google searches after the premiere. The day after the movie's release, "tennis skirt" received 1,953 searches, 547 more Google searches (28% difference) than "tennis dress." This indicates that not only did "tennis skirt" see a 22.45% spike the day of the movie's release, but it is also a preferred choice over "tennis dress” globally.

Globally: Generic Tennis Terms Outrank Specific Brands in Popularity

The term "tennis racket" saw 80.5% more Google  searches than specific brand rackets such as Wilson Racket, Head Racket, Babolat Racket, Dunlop Racket, Slazenger Racket, and Yonex Racket in the US. Globally,  the term “tennis racket” only saw 36.3% more Google searches than specific brands. The term “Yonex Racket” received the most Google searches out of all the brand rackets with a total of 34,667 searches while the term “Slazenger Racket” received the least amount of Google searches with only 495 searches in from April 16 to May 16 worldwide. When you look at the numbers between the most Google searched racket and the least Google searched racket there’s about a 70% difference in how many searches are being generated for Yonex Racket over Slazenger globally. While in the US, the term “Head Racket” received the most Google searches with 5,364 searches and the term “Slazenger Racket” received 0 Google searches from April 21st to May 21st in the US. The peak search volume for "Wilson Racket" in the past 30 days was 1,035, recorded during the week of the release of the Challengers movie worldwide. “Head racket” was the only racket specific term that received a notable increase of 35% the day of the Challengers movie worldwide. On another note, "tennis racket" garnered a total of 154,929 Google searches, compared to "Wilson Racket" 23,017 globally. That’s about a 573% difference!  "Tennis racket" secured the third-highest number of Google searches among the terms analyzed, with a peak of 6,828 searches in a single day over the past month, pushing "Wilson Racket" to the bottom of the Google search rankings. Collectively, the searches for both terms amounted to 177,946. It seems like Americans haven't been too interested in searching for "Wilson Racket" lately. Surprisingly, not even the buzz around "The Challengers" movie premiere sparked any searches for Wilson Racket on that day. The term's peak was a modest 216 searches on April 30th. Overall, "Wilson Racket" only managed to gather 3,445 Google searches over the past 30 days, making it the least searched tennis term in our analysis for the US market.

For further insights into how tennis terms have been invading our Google searches, check out the graph below.

US Prefers Tennis Dresses Over Skirts

As noted earlier, on a global scale in women's fashion, "tennis skirts'' garnered more popularity than "tennis dresses" over the last 30 days. However, when you take a closer look into the US market, this preference is reversed. "Tennis dress'' received 29,855 Google searches, with its peak reaching 1,354 searches three days before the Challengers movie premiere and lowest of  Google searches at 622 a day after the premiere which was about a 117.68% decrease. Meanwhile, "tennis skirts'' received 25,461 Google searches, with highs of 1,075 searches and lows of 602. Together, they amassed a total of 55,316 Google searches in the past month, showing the US's tendency to diverge from global fashion trends.

In the analysis of six tennis-related terms over the past 30 days, "tennis shoes" and "Challengers Movie" emerged as the top contenders both globally and in the US. Collectively, these six terms accounted for over 1.2 million searches worldwide, with "tennis shoes" and "Challengers Movie" making up 75% of global searches and 84% of searches in the US. Globally, "Challengers Movie" garnered 556,227 searches, while in the US, it was googled 405,629 times during the same period. Meanwhile, "tennis shoes" ranked as the second-most searched term globally, with 363,463 searches, and in the US, it accumulated 208,269 searches.

Methodology

The analytics team conducted an investigation into the frequency of Google searches for tennis-related terms (tennis racket, Wilson racket, Yonex racket, Slazenger racket, Dunlop racket, Babolot racket, Head racket, tennis skirt, tennis shoes, tennis dress, and Challengers movie) from April 16th to May 16th. The aim was to determine if the release of the latest movie featuring Zendaya, "Challengers," had a notable impact on searches related to tennis. This analysis was carried out on a global scale and specifically focused on the US market to assess performance and gauge interest.

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Harry Sadoun

Harry Sadoun is a seasoned sports betting expert with a wealth of experience in the iGaming and sports betting industry. Over the past 5 years, he has established himself as a go-to source for insightful analysis and predictions at Vegasinsider. With a passion for sports, Harry specializes in football, basketball, tennis, rugby, and soccer, showcasing a diverse understanding of athletic competitions. Harry's unique approach to sports betting is rooted in a combination of statistical analysis, in-depth research, and a keen understanding of the dynamics that influence game outcomes. His expert opinions and strategic insights have made him a trusted voice in the industry, guiding both novice and seasoned bettors alike. With an unwavering commitment to delivering accurate and up-to-date information, Harry Sadoun continues to be a prominent figure in the world of sports betting, providing enthusiasts with the tools they need to make informed decisions. More from Harry Sadoun