is pickleball the new padel? – Wel.nl

The racket hypes follow each other in quick succession. The tennis court has not yet been exchanged for a padel court or a new way has already been devised to hit a ball over a net. Meet pickleball.

Kim Clijsters is already a fan. She has even become a co-owner of the professional tour. “I am excited to announce that I am the new owner of the Major League Pickleball along with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady! This is going to be fun!” said four-time grand slam champion and former number one of the tennis world Kim Clijsters.

Padel is the fastest growing sport in the Netherlands. Last year the number of padel courts in our country almost doubled from 755 to 1450. Pickleball is somewhat similar. It is a mix of tennis, padel, badminton and table tennis and is played two against two in a mini court that is four times smaller than a tennis court. The net also hangs a bit lower and you don’t play in a ‘cage’ like with padel. The ball is lighter and the racket (paddle) is smooth.

In the Netherlands you can play pickleball in about twenty places. The sport is mainly played by older people, because of the low risk of injuries. Clijsters, Brady and other investors like NBA star LeBron James want to make the game more popular and aim for 40 million pickleball players by 2030. What the sport has to do with pickles is so far unclear.