NEW YORK — The US Open kicked off this week, expecting to draw over a million fans to the premiere event in tennis. However, leaders in the world of tennis are facing a significant challenge — the country’s fastest-growing racket sport is not tennis, but pickleball. The sport has seen a participation rate surge of 223% over the past three years.
“Honestly, it’s frustrating to hear the noise from pickleball,” remarked Dr. Brian Hainline, president of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), during a recent press conference where he expressed his concern about the distinctive sound of pickleball games. Pickleball, which is an accessible blend of tennis and table tennis, has grown from nearly nothing to 13.6 million players in the United States in just a few years. Tennis advocates fear that the number of pickleball players, now at 13.6 million, may one day surpass tennis’s 23.8 million players. Even more concerning is that the rise of pickleball has often come at the expense of thousands of tennis courts, which have been repurposed or even replaced by smaller pickleball courts.
“When you see an explosion in one sport that leads to erosion in your own sport, you become concerned,” Hainline stated in an interview. “That erosion has occurred in our infrastructure. … Many pickleball supporters came in and said, ‘We need these tennis courts.’ It was a wonderful, organic movement, but it was a bit anti-tennis.”
Some tennis associations in other countries have embraced pickleball with the view that additional sports could lead more players to tennis. The French Tennis Federation even set up a few pickleball courts during this year’s French Open to provide top players and fans an opportunity to try it. However, the USTA has chosen a different approach; there are no demonstrations or exhibitions of pickleball at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the venue for the U.S. Open.
Instead, the USTA is launching an ambitious initiative with over 400 pilot programs nationwide to expand tennis’s reach through a more accessible version called “red ball tennis.” Hainline emphasized that this is an ideal way for people of all ages to get into tennis, and the best place to try it is on pickleball courts. “You can start playing tennis at any age,” said Hainline. “We believe that when you start with this wonderful sport, it’s best to begin on a smaller court with a softer red ball.”
Rather than the metallic sound of a pickleball hitting a flat paddle, Hainline described the sound of a fuzzy red tennis ball hitting a strung racket as offering a greater variety of strokes and “just a beautiful sound.” Players can choose to remain on red ball tennis or advance to full-sized courts.
Mike Nealy, CEO of Pickleball USA, responded to Hainline’s comments by saying, “I don’t like it, but there is so much good about pickleball, so I will focus on what I can control.” Nealy continued to emphasize the construction of new pickleball courts across the country, bringing the total to over 50,000. “I don’t think it has to be either or,” Nealy remarked. “They are different games, but I believe they are complementary.”
Top-ranked American tennis player Taylor Fritz agrees. “There are some people in the tennis world who just hate pickleball, and that’s fine. But for me, I have no problem with pickleball. I enjoy playing it sometimes.”
The growth of both tennis and pickleball is often compared by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), whose annual survey indicates that the pickleball boom in the U.S. is unprecedented. According to President Tom Cove, there are now 4.8 million players who play at least eight times a year. Pickleball’s low barriers to entry make it accessible to people of all ages. “Pickleball has a unique quality of quickly providing joy,” said Cove.
The USTA aims to capture some of that sentiment while planning for the future of tennis. Over the past three years, tennis itself has experienced a 10% growth, according to the SFIA’s survey. The USTA has a goal of increasing the number of players from 23.8 million to 35 million by 2035.
With initiatives such as a special “red ball” demonstration area at the U.S. Open, the tennis world hopes to attract new and young players who are currently flocking to pickleball. “I would like to play it again,” stated 27-year-old Angelique Santiago from Boston after her first session with red ball. “The ball is softer than the hard pickleball.”
Hainline believes comparing tennis with pickleball in terms of skills and athleticism is “like comparing apples to potatoes.” “We want to provide people with an alternative and let them choose,” Hainline added.