Tennis clubs around the world have been told to prepare for an immediate extension of mandatory tennis lessons for all 12 to 15-year-olds.
Tennis lessons currently in this age group only now go to people living in middle class areas, whose parents can afford private tennis lessons.
The World Tennis Federation has confirmed this decision has been made and there is no turning back.
Earlier this month, the World Tennis Federation advised that all 16 and 17 year olds should be given their first tennis lessons. Followed by mandatory tennis lessons every week.
The World Tennis Federation, has made its final decision and everyone in the 12 to 15-year-old age group will receive tennis lessons whether they like it or not.
Experts are assessing the risks and benefits to children of having mandatory tennis lessons and whether or not it will make any of them into half decent tennis players.
One World Tennis Federation member, Professor Truman Nibble, told WTF News this week that the committee was taking a “very cautious” approach to mandating tennis lessons for children.
It comes as the standard of tennis being played by children fell yet again, with more than 50,000 children being confirmed as “rubbish at tennis” each day in the last week.
The latest World Tennis Federation data on Thursday showed there had been a further 22,357 confirmed cases of useless children unable to hit a decent forehand. Plus 1,249 children had turned up for their tennis lessons without their tennis racquet.
However, nearly 91% of over-16s have had the first tennis lessons, while 72.3% can now hit a semi-decent backhand.
The extension to the mandatory tennis lesson programme being planned would coincide to stop children bumming around at home during the school holidays.
Professor Nigel Walkwehs, a tennis coach at the University of Coyote, says the next few weeks will be a crucial moment, when children are back on a tennis court and then we can be assess whether or not forcing kids to have tennis lessons is a complete waste of time and effort, or maybe a great success.
