The head coach at Woodlands Tennis is celebrating his first-year anniversary with the club.
Simon Thornewell said he believed player activity had increased at the Allestree club since he joined 12 months ago.
He said this was particularly the case among the younger members, with 60 players between the ages of five and 15 having now joined the programme.
Thornewell said: "We've seen a massive increase in the number of younger players involved in the club, which is great.
"I think part of that is down to trying to get the kids to have fun and play games with them, so the sport has some appeal.
"It's one of the fundamentals of the game, otherwise the kids just won't come back."
Thornewell, who encourages the children to visit the club, in Kedleston Road, once a week, said his aim was to keep the youngsters playing as long as possible.
He said: "The drop out rate in tennis is still far too high and our goal has got to be to keep people in the game.
"And there are quite a few youngsters who show real promise. They have good co-ordination and good understanding of the basics.
"So, if in 10 years' time, they are still playing tennis in some form, then we know we've had some success."
For more information about Woodlands Tennis Club, contact 01332 607589.