Does tennis have a pickleball problem?

Even as the U.S. Open with more than a million fans expected for , the game鈥檚 leaders are being forced to confront a devastating fact 鈥� the nation鈥檚 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.

鈥淨uite frankly, it鈥檚 obnoxious to hear that pickleball noise,鈥� 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 tennis鈥� 23.8 million players. And most troubling is that pickleball鈥檚 rise has often come at the expense of thousands of tennis courts encroached upon or even replaced by smaller pickleball courts.

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

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. France鈥檚 tennis federation at this year鈥檚 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. Open鈥檚 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 it鈥檚 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.

鈥淵ou can begin tennis at any age,鈥� USTA鈥檚 Hainline said. 鈥淲e believe that when you do begin this great sport of tennis, it鈥檚 probably best to begin it on a shorter court with a larger, low-compression red ball. What鈥檚 an ideal short court? A pickleball court.鈥�

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 鈥渏ust a beautiful sound.鈥� Players can either stick with red ball tennis or advance through a progression of bouncier balls to full-court tennis.

鈥淣ot to put it down,鈥� Hainline said of pickleball, 鈥渂ut compared to tennis 鈥� seriously?鈥�

So what does the head of the nation鈥檚 pickleball governing body have to say about such comments and big tennis鈥� plans to plant the seeds of its growth, at least in part, on pickleball courts?

鈥淚 don鈥檛 like it but there is so much going on with pickleball, so many good things, I鈥檓 going to stick to what I can control, harnessing the growth and supporting this game,鈥� 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. There鈥檚 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 鈥渄ink-and-drink鈥� establishments that tap into the social aspect of the game by allowing friends to enjoy pickleball, beer, wine and food under the same roof.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it needs to be one or the other or a competition,鈥� Nealy said of pickleball and tennis. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e certainly going to have the inherent frictions in communities when tennis people don鈥檛 feel that they鈥檙e getting what they want. 鈥� They鈥檙e different games but I think they are complimentary. There鈥檚 plenty of room for both sports to be very successful.鈥�

Top-ranked American tennis player Taylor Fritz agreed. 鈥淭here are some people in the tennis world that are just absolute pickleball haters, and that鈥檚 fine. But for me, I don鈥檛 really have an issue with pickleball. I like playing sometimes. 鈥� I don鈥檛 see any reason why both of them can鈥檛 exist.鈥�

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 group鈥檚 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 SFIA鈥檚 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. That鈥檚 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.

鈥淧ickleball has a unique quality to give enjoyment very early,鈥� Cove said. 鈥淧eople figure it out and after one or two times. They say, 鈥業 like to play. It鈥檚 fun and I can do this. There鈥檚 enough competition, but not too much. There鈥檚 enough skill but not too much. There鈥檚 enough urgency but it doesn鈥檛 make me feel like I鈥檓 going to fall over. And I like the social part.鈥濃��

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

Building that base starts with outreach like a special 鈥渞ed ball鈥� 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 鈥� among the same people currently flocking to pickleball.

鈥淚 have to say, I kind of like it better than pickleball,鈥� 27-year-old Angelique Santiago of Boston said after her first-ever session of red-ball. 鈥淭he ball is softer compared to the hard pickleball. The tennis racket has a softer feel. It鈥檚 just easier to get into a rally. 鈥� I鈥檇 definitely play it again.鈥�

Such comments are music to the ears of the USTA鈥檚 Hainline, who says comparing tennis to pickleball in terms of skill, nuance and athleticism is 鈥渓ike comparing apples to potatoes.鈥�

鈥淲e want to present another option,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd let the people choose.鈥�