The rise of tennis in Ireland – in conversation with Tennis Ireland CEO Kevin Quinn
Tennis in Ireland has always been a sport bubbling under the surface, but a surge of interest in the sport is starting to gather momentum.
Without the huge financial input from the Irish government or a major tournament to provide finance for the grassroots game in Ireland, he nation’s governing body faces a tough task to provide a platform for the best young players in the country to thrive.
Conor Niland, Ireland’s current Davis Cup captain, is the only Irish player to play in the main draw at Wimbledon in recent years and his compelling book released last year highlighted how tough it is to battle your way to the top of the sport without the financial backing that is available to major tennis nations such as America, Australia, France, Italy and Britain.
Here, Tennis Ireland CEO Kevin Quinn tells Tennis365 how his organisation are overseeing an impressive rise in participation levels in his county, while also emphasising how tough it is for young players in Ireland to compete at the highest levels.
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How would you describe tennis in Ireland?
I would say out is a huge sport hiding in plain sight. We have the challenge of trying to create more interest in a sport because we don’t have a Rory McIlroy, a Katie Taylor highlighting the sport. In Ireland, when we have a successful athlete, we all get behind them and get interested in the sport. There is no doubt in my mind that the Irish player, the Irish athlete, could succeed at tennis because we have shown it in every other sport. It’s all about finding out how we use the limited resources we have to give our best players the best chance to succeed.
Where does tennis fit in a nation of rugby, GAA and soccer lovers?
At a club level, tennis is thriving. Post Covid, participation rose and independent research suggests we have 200,000 social and active players, we are touching 100,000 in affiliate members and the participation figures confirm we are the fourth most popular sport in Ireland. We also had a recent survey asking what sport people would like to try and tennis came out as No 1 so the appetite is there for the sport. We have to try and tap into that.
When you compare the level of funding in Ireland to Britain, just across the water, it highlights the challenge for Irish junior players. How can they bridge that gap?
The LTA in Britain have been fantastic to us. We have formally signed a memo of understanding with the LTA and we can use some of their resources and work with them, which has been brilliant for us. What they have and we don’t have is the financial freedom to try and few new things. We are much more restricted. They got over £50m from Wimbledon last year and that is a huge factor. They can also offer their players different opportunities and we saw that with Oliver Tarvet this year, who was No.733 in the world and was given a wildcard into Wimbledon qualifying before going on to play Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court in the main draw.
Are Irish players cutting their teeth in the American college system that is proving to be such a good breeding ground?
We have a lot of Irish players out in the States on scholarships and we are developing a programme to build deeper relationships with colleges. When you have a good young player, it is always a challenge to assess where is best for them to develop. What coaching would work best for them to make sure they are happy and have the best chance to thrive? They are the kind of decision we help them to make.
Are there any young Irish kids coming through that could reach the top?
We have a couple of very promising kids who are high on the ITF junior rankings in their age category and we want to give them every support possible to realise their ambitions. We are hoping they can play in Junior Grand Slams next and if not, certainly the year after.
Does Ireland need a superstar player to inspire a generation of champions?
It would help, but if you look across a lot of sports and soccer in particular, many people in Ireland looked at players in England as their heroes. We had Irish players there, but my hero growing was Jan Molby in the Liverpool midfield and a lot of my friends were the same. Players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are now the leaders of our sport and they can inspire kids to pick up a racket and play, whether they are from your country or not.