As Wimbledon swings into action, participation in tennis continues to rise in the UK. This is thanks largely to the success of homegrown players such as Andy Murray, who is currently planning a comeback from last year’s hip operation. 

And now sports fans, young and old, can try their hand at tennis in a series of Nature Valley Big Tennis Weekends. These free and family-friendly events are being held throughout the UK all through the summer. Rackets and balls will be provided, and from Mini Tennis to Cardio Tennis, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a novice or veteran. 

In Hinckley Town Tennis Club in Leicester there will be an annual open day on Sunday July 7th, when visitors can come along and see what facilities are on offer as well as play some tennis.  

At Spencer Park in Coventry on Saturday July 20th, the courts will be open for anyone to come and play, with all equipment available to use for free. 

Melbourne Tennis Club in Derby, meanwhile, is hosting an open day on Sunday July 21st, with taster sessions and fun activities to play on court. All equipment will be provided, and the club’s coaching team will be on hand to give advice.  

As well as the fun and fitness factors, the financial rewards of becoming a tennis star are hugely attractive. In fact, there will be a big boost to the prize money pot at Wimbledon this year, with the women’s and men’s competitions receiving the same amount once more. 

The winners of both singles finals will each receive an eye-watering £2.35 million – that’s up from £2.25 million last year. The runner-up will receive £1,175,000, with the semi-finalists securing £588,000. Quarterfinalists get £294,000 and, even if a player reaches only the fourth round, they win £176,000. There is also a healthy net profit in the doubles with the winners pocketing £540,000. 

While not everyone will get the chance to be on centre court at the top level of tennis and earn these kinds of sums, there are many jobs that help the sport thrive. 

Coaching, in particular, is important for nurturing the next generation of stars. 

This can mean working in a school as a PE teacher or as a specialist trainer at a dedicated academy.  

To become a tennis coach there’s a five-level coaching pathway available through the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which offers players of all abilities the chance to get involved. 

As a Level One Coaching Assistant you’ll be helping teach LTA Mini Tennis to children aged three to ten. Level Two gives Coaching Assistants the opportunity to work with a licenced coach to teach groups of beginners. 

The Level Three qualification allows you to become an officially licenced coach and pursue coaching as a career. 

Level 4 Senior Performance Coach qualifications is for coaches who work fulltime in a performance environment with junior national players aged 10-14. 

Gaining a Level 5 Master Performance Coach qualification means you can work with high performance players, with responsibility for their programme development. 

Of course, tournaments such as Wimbledon would not be such a global phenomenon if it were not for people working behind the scenes. 

Unexpected events such as summer storms, a shortage of strawberries and cream or a player throwing a tantrum on court can affect scheduling and spectator satisfaction. 

That’s where top-notch customer service professionals come into their own, making sure the paying public are taken care of.  

It’s also why event managers at this level must be at the top of their game – not only planning everything in meticulous detail but also working with a large team that can include coordinators, catering staff, conference and banqueting supervisors and marketing executives.  

This last role is also a standout career option for tennis lovers. The sport boasts exciting opportunities for marketing across many different media platforms and this requires copywriters, editors and graphic designers. 

Often it will mean liaising with sports journalists – itself a dream job for any tennis fan. After all, what could be better than getting paid to watch as stars do battle, commentating on the action or writing about it for a newspaper? 

Sports retail is also big business and supports a wealth of jobs in the UK. If you’re interested in the latest technology in tennis – and you’re a natural with people – being a sports shop assistant or manager offers opportunities to get first sight of the latest must-haves…and, of course, talk tennis all day long.  

Thousands of people across the UK also work in production and manufacturing, creating the equipment that makes tennis – and tennis retailing – possible: from innovative racquets to the equipment used on court, such as nets, hi-tech cameras and superfast ball-tracking software. 

Not only does this technology ensure fair play and give TV viewers a more interactive experience of tournaments such as Wimbledon, it means there are opportunities for IT pros, software developers and engineers to use their skills to ensure tennis is as engaging as possible. 

If you’re looking for a role that offers as much satisfaction and excitement as Wimbledon, there’s nowhere better than wm1jobs to find a role that’s your game, set and perfect match.