Tennis fever spreads north for Wimbledon - 6 July 2007
Yell.com research reveals tennis hotspots of the UKWith Wimbledon coming to a close, tennis fever hits an all time high as budding Andy Murrays throughout the UK take to the courts. Yell.com, the UK’s local search engine, today reveals that searches for tennis-related businesses and services have increased by 20 per cent* during the tournament.
Mancunians are the most tenacious tennis fans in the country, conducting 2.5 times more tennis-related searches during Wimbledon than during an average UK week. Londoners are the second-most likely would-be sports stars to be looking for clubs, courts, lessons and rackets, closely followed by Birmingham and Sheffield.
Further analysis reveals the peaks for tennis searches hit a high in the middle of June, just before the tournament started.
Alicia Andrews, head of Yell.com said “It’s fantastic to see that the rain hasn’t dampened the UK’s appetite for tennis. With hundreds of tennis courts, clubs and coaches to choose from across the UK, Yell.com can help any Wimbledon–inspired individual to start their journey to SW19.”
Wimbledon mania doesn’t just inspire the UK to pick up a racket. Yell.com also uncovered a peak in searches for ‘strawberries’ and ‘cream’ at the beginning of June and they have continued to show peaks throughout the tournament. And not surprisingly – during our rain-ridden English summer – Yell.com has also seen a massive increase in searches for ‘umbrellas’. With the finals within reach, and the rain showing no sign of stopping, searches for umbrellas have continued to rise, with an all time peak on the 10th June.
Tennis Hot Spot League
1. Manchester
2. London
3. Birmingham
4. Sheffield
5. Cambridge
6. Brighton
7. Edinburgh
8. Reading
9. Glasgow
10. Nottingham
*Yell.com analysts monitored searches for tennis and tennis related subjects in the 6 weeks prior to Wimbledon, and then again during the tournament to analyse any trends.
