Does tennis have a pickleball problem?

Even as the U.S. Open with more than a million fans expected for , the game91裸聊视频檚 leaders are being forced to confront a devastating fact 91裸聊视频� the nation91裸聊视频檚 fastest-growing racket sport (or sport of any kind) is not tennis but pickleball, which has seen U.S. participation boom 223% in the past three years.

91裸聊视频淨uite frankly, it91裸聊视频檚 obnoxious to hear that pickleball noise,91裸聊视频� U.S. Tennis Association President Dr. Brian Hainline grumbled at a recent state-of-the-game news conference, bemoaning the distinctive pock, pock, pock of pickleball points.

Pickleball, an easy-to-play mix of tennis and ping pong using paddles and a wiffleball, has quickly soared from nearly nothing to 13.6 million U.S. players in just a few years, leading tennis purists to fear a day when it could surpass tennis91裸聊视频� 23.8 million players. And most troubling is that pickleball91裸聊视频檚 rise has often come at the expense of thousands of tennis courts encroached upon or even replaced by smaller pickleball courts.

91裸聊视频淲hen you see an explosion of a sport and it starts potentially eroding into your sport, then, yes, you91裸聊视频檙e concerned,91裸聊视频� Hainline said in an interview with The Associated Press. 91裸聊视频淭hat erosion has come in our infrastructure. 91裸聊视频� A lot of pickleball advocates just came in and said, 91裸聊视频榃e need these tennis courts.91裸聊视频� It was a great, organic grassroots movement but it was a little anti-tennis.91裸聊视频�

Some tennis governing bodies in other countries have embraced pickleball and other racket sports under the more-the-merrier belief they could lead more players to the mothership of tennis. France91裸聊视频檚 tennis federation at this year91裸聊视频檚 French Open to give top players and fans a chance to try it out.

But the USTA has taken a decidedly different approach. Nowhere at the U.S. Open91裸聊视频檚 Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is there any such demonstration court, exhibition match or any other nod to pickleball or its possible crossover appeal.

In fact, the USTA is flipping the script on pickleball with an ambitious launch of more than 400 pilot programs across the country to broaden the reach of an easier-to-play, smaller-court version of tennis called Backers say it91裸聊视频檚 the ideal way for people of all ages to get into tennis and the best place to try it is (wait for it) on pickleball courts.

91裸聊视频淵ou can begin tennis at any age,91裸聊视频� USTA91裸聊视频檚 Hainline said. 91裸聊视频淲e believe that when you do begin this great sport of tennis, it91裸聊视频檚 probably best to begin it on a shorter court with a larger, low-compression red ball. What91裸聊视频檚 an ideal short court? A pickleball court.91裸聊视频�

And instead of the plasticky plink of a pickleball against a flat paddle, Hainline said, striking a fuzzy red tennis ball with a stringed racket allows for a greater variety of strokes and 91裸聊视频渏ust a beautiful sound.91裸聊视频� Players can either stick with red ball tennis or advance through a progression of bouncier balls to full-court tennis.

91裸聊视频淣ot to put it down,91裸聊视频� Hainline said of pickleball, 91裸聊视频渂ut compared to tennis 91裸聊视频� seriously?91裸聊视频�

So what does the head of the nation91裸聊视频檚 pickleball governing body have to say about such comments and big tennis91裸聊视频� plans to plant the seeds of its growth, at least in part, on pickleball courts?

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 like it but there is so much going on with pickleball, so many good things, I91裸聊视频檓 going to stick to what I can control, harnessing the growth and supporting this game,91裸聊视频� said Pickleball USA CEO Mike Nealy.

Among the positive signs, Nealy said, is the continuing construction of new pickleball courts across the country, raising the total to more than 50,000. There91裸聊视频檚 also growing investment in the game at clubs built in former big-box retail stores, pro leagues with such backers as Tom Brady, LeBron James and Drake, and the emergence of 91裸聊视频渄ink-and-drink91裸聊视频� establishments that tap into the social aspect of the game by allowing friends to enjoy pickleball, beer, wine and food under the same roof.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think it needs to be one or the other or a competition,91裸聊视频� Nealy said of pickleball and tennis. 91裸聊视频淵ou91裸聊视频檙e certainly going to have the inherent frictions in communities when tennis people don91裸聊视频檛 feel that they91裸聊视频檙e getting what they want. 91裸聊视频� They91裸聊视频檙e different games but I think they are complimentary. There91裸聊视频檚 plenty of room for both sports to be very successful.91裸聊视频�

Top-ranked American tennis player Taylor Fritz agreed. 91裸聊视频淭here are some people in the tennis world that are just absolute pickleball haters, and that91裸聊视频檚 fine. But for me, I don91裸聊视频檛 really have an issue with pickleball. I like playing sometimes. 91裸聊视频� I don91裸聊视频檛 see any reason why both of them can91裸聊视频檛 exist.91裸聊视频�

The relative health of tennis and pickleball is calculated by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, a marketing research group whose annual survey of 18,000 Americans on their preferences of physical activity has been widely cited for decades.

Though the group91裸聊视频檚 President and CEO Tom Cove refused to hazard a guess on if or when pickleball could overtake tennis, he said the American pickleball boom is unlike anything his organization his ever seen and several key stats suggest it could be poised to keep going.

For starters, though the initial growth of pickleball was fueled 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 ages 18 to 34, with a million new players 17 and younger added last year. Also, of the current 13.6 million pickleball participants in SFIA91裸聊视频檚 survey, the core number, those who play eight or more times a year, is a robust 4.8 million.

But perhaps more important than any stat, Cove said, is that pickleball puts up almost no barriers to entry. Equipment is relatively cheap, the game can be played almost anywhere, even on a driveway, and it takes almost no time to start having meaningful games with players of all ages and skill levels. That91裸聊视频檚 unlike nearly every other sport, including tennis, which can often take months of practice to learn, be physically demanding and require finding players of similar skill level to play competitive matches.

91裸聊视频淧ickleball has a unique quality to give enjoyment very early,91裸聊视频� Cove said. 91裸聊视频淧eople figure it out and after one or two times. They say, 91裸聊视频業 like to play. It91裸聊视频檚 fun and I can do this. There91裸聊视频檚 enough competition, but not too much. There91裸聊视频檚 enough skill but not too much. There91裸聊视频檚 enough urgency but it doesn91裸聊视频檛 make me feel like I91裸聊视频檓 going to fall over. And I like the social part.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

The USTA is seeking to capture some of that vibe as it charts tennis91裸聊视频� future. The game is coming off its own 10% growth over the past three years, according to SFIA91裸聊视频檚 survey, and the USTA has a goal to increase its ranks from 23.8 million to 35 million players 91裸聊视频� about 1 in 10 of all Americans 91裸聊视频� by 2035.

Building that base starts with outreach like a special 91裸聊视频渞ed ball91裸聊视频� demonstration court set up next to stadium Court 17 at Flushing Meadows. A game that was once used almost exclusively to introduce children to tennis is now being promoted to adult U.S. Open fans 91裸聊视频� among the same people currently flocking to pickleball.

91裸聊视频淚 have to say, I kind of like it better than pickleball,91裸聊视频� 27-year-old Angelique Santiago of Boston said after her first-ever session of red-ball. 91裸聊视频淭he ball is softer compared to the hard pickleball. The tennis racket has a softer feel. It91裸聊视频檚 just easier to get into a rally. 91裸聊视频� I91裸聊视频檇 definitely play it again.91裸聊视频�

Such comments are music to the ears of the USTA91裸聊视频檚 Hainline, who says comparing tennis to pickleball in terms of skill, nuance and athleticism is 91裸聊视频渓ike comparing apples to potatoes.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e want to present another option,91裸聊视频� he said, 91裸聊视频渁nd let the people choose.91裸聊视频�