Tennis (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3284
Down 17% over 5 years
The verdict
Tennis (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) carry a danger score of 44/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 20,779 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 17% over the last five years.
- 44/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 20,779
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 10.3%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3284 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 44/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume20,779 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)10.3%
- Fatality rate0.28%
- 5-year trend-17%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Tennis (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) (CPSC product code 3284, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 20,779 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 415,585 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 44/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 17% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (24,224 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (13,697 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 37,577 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the upper trunk (26,019 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 71,280 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 10.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.28%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 18 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 1,598 | 1,193 | |
| 5-14 | 33,967 | 26,780 | |
| 15-24 | 35,468 | 35,812 | |
| 25-34 | 15,259 | 10,767 | |
| 35-44 | 19,986 | 15,697 | |
| 45-54 | 24,940 | 22,857 | |
| 55-64 | 27,275 | 26,212 | |
| 65-74 | 40,633 | 28,143 | |
| 75+ | 33,413 | 15,435 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Lower Leg | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
9 YOF WAS HIT IN EYE WITH A TENNIS BALL DX: ABRASION CORNEA
28YOM WAS PLAYING TENNIS WHEN HE FELT SOMETHING POP IN HIS RIGH ANKLE DX:STRAINED ACHILLES TENDON
77YOF WAS PLAYING TENNIS FOR TWO HOURS WHEN SHE SUDDENLY DEVELOPED CHEST PAIN WITH TIGHTNESS DX: ACUTE CHEST PAIN
74YOM FELL ONTO LEFT ELBOW TWO DAYS AGO WHILE PLAYING TENNIS SUSTAINED AND ABRSION TO ELBOW NOW INFECTED DX:CELLULITIS LEFT ELBOW
53YOF WAS PLAYING TENNIS TODAY WHEN SHE WAS RUNNING TOWARDS THE WALL AND ACCIDENTALLY STEPPED ON THE TENNIS BALL CAUSING HER TO FALL INJURING HER RIGHT KNEE DX: FRACTURED RIGHT KNEE; FRACTURED LEFT HUMERUS
10 YOM. ABDOMINAL PAIN AFTER PT WAS PLAYING TENNIS, WAS HIT BY THE BALL. DX: BLUNT TRAUMA OF ABDOMINAL WALL
81 YOF FELL WHILE PLAYING TENNIS, C/O RIGHT HAND PAIN, DX: HAND FRACTURE
84 YOM C/O RIGHT WRIST AND FACIAL PAIN AFTER FALL INTO NET WHILE PLAYING TENNIS, DX: RIGHT WRIST FRACTURE, NASAL BONE FRACTURE
14YOM HAD PLAYED TENNIS FOR FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT YESTERDAY NOW IS HAVING PAIN IN RIGHT SHOULDER DX: ROTATOR CUFF INJURY
10 YOF C/O RIGHT SHOULDER PAIN AFTER THROWING A TENNIS BALL VERY HARD YESTERDAY, DX: RIGHT SHOULDER SPRAIN
79 YOF WAS PLAYING INDOOR TENNIS LAST NIGHT WHEN SHE FELL BACKWARDS LANDING ON HER TAILBONE AND HIT HER HEAD, DOES NOT TAKE BLOOD THINNERS, DX: CONCUSSION
64YOF WAS PLAYING TENNIS AND DEVELOPED PAIN IN CHEST DX: CHEST PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The consumer stated that she purchased a pack of 3 tennis balls. She stated that when she opened the packaging there was a load noise and a strong chemical smell was emitted from the inside of the packaging. The consumer stated that she placed the balls outside to air it out and they still have the strong chemical odor. The consumer stated that she was not injured, but she breathed in the chemicals when she opened the packaging. The consumer stated that she will not be contacting the manufacturer but she will be taking the product back to the retailer.
Consumer experiences constant debilitating elbow wrist and shoulder pain due to playing with air injected tennis racket which results in ongoing physical therapy.
Consumer reports constant pain in the shoulder leading to multiple surgeries on the rotator cuff and labrum as a result of using hollow air injected tennis racket.
Consumer experiences constant debilitating elbow pain due to playing with air injected tennis racket which results in physical therapy, prolotherapy injections, nerve tests, and acupuncture as well as other therapies.
68 Year old Male suffered serious injury to his shoulder and arm after using the racket. He underwent medical treatment. Purchased the racket was purchased from Walmart stores. The product is also sold at Modell's and Amazon Statement from victim is as follows: "In the fall of 2012, I noticed accumulating tenderness in my shoulder as I played with my racquet. The more I played, the worse it got. The pain spread to my elbow and wrist. I saw [REDACTED], an orthopedist, about this. He said it was inflammation from tennis. He had me treat with naproxen twice daily (4 pills total) for two weeks, then two pills daily for two weeks. My shoulder and arm pain still persist and interfere with my sleep. I have lifted weights and done minimal yoga until this injury. This rigid tennis racquet caused the problem."
16 year old boy reports that he suffered permanent and serious injury to his shoulder after using the air injected tennis racket called the Babolat Pure Drive. HIs MRI showed a tear in the rotator cuff and is recommended for surgery. According to his doctor, the cause of the injury was the racket.
Consumer reports that he suffered serious injury to his elbow after using the racket
[REDACTED] age 62 underwent necessary shoulder surgery after being diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear by his doctor [REDACTED] after playing with a hollow air injected Wilson Triad racket The racket was purchased from Play It Again Sports in Chesapeake, VA
Showing 8 of 18 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) have a danger score of 44/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 20,779 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 37,577 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?
Down 17% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 71,280 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Of all ER visits involving tennis (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 10.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (89.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 44/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
