Pickleball Becomes Sour For US Tennis

Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players in singles or four players in doubles use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high net . It is played indoors and outdoors. 

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US tennis has a tough competition. The nation’s fastest-growing racket sport is not tennis but pickleball. The sport has caught the fancy of many Americans as it has seen participation boom 223% in the past three years.

Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players in singles or four players in doubles use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high net . It is played indoors and outdoors. 

Invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game in the United States, pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest region of the country and gradually rose in popularity elsewhere. 

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The Spiralling Case of Pickleball

Pickleball, which is an easy-to-play mix of tennis and ping pong using paddles and a wiffleball, has quickly become a favourite from nearly no-takers to 13.6 million U.S. players in just a few years. Many consider it a threat as it might surpass tennis’ 23.8 million players. 

The rise of sport has often come at the expense of thousands of tennis courts occupied or even replaced by smaller pickleball courts.

Pickleball Becomes Sour For US Tennis

Some tennis governing bodies in other countries have welcomed sport and other racket sports to widen the range of the tennis-similar sports.  In France, the tennis federation even set up a few pickleball courts at this year’s French Open to allow top players and fans to lay hands on the game.

However, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has taken a different approach by not allowing any pickleball game to feature near the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. 

The USTA has launched more than 400 pilot programs across the country to make pickleball accessible to people of all ages including senior citizens in the name of red-ball tennis. There has been a continuing construction of new courts across the USA, raising the total to more than 50,000. 

Pickleball Becomes Sour For US Tennis

Although the initial growth of pickleball was accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic by retirees looking for a socially distanced, low-impact way to get some exercise, the growth now is driven by those aged 18 to 34. A million new players aged 17 and younger were added last year. Also, of the current 13.6 million participants, the core number who play eight or more times a year, is a robust 4.8 million, according to a study by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. 

Also Read: Longest Match in US Open History: 3 Tie-Breakers In 5 Setter

Another reason for the increasing popularity of pickleball is that the equipment is relatively cheap and the game can be played almost anywhere, be it on a driveway. It takes almost no time to start meaningful games with players of all age groups and skill levels. It’s more feasible to play than any other sport, including tennis, which can often take months of practice to learn and are physically demanding.

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