It’s no secret that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. Everywhere you look, there seems to be a new pickleball court popping up. On television, we’re seeing more references to this tennis-like sport. There are even Consumer Cellular ads about it!

And — if you’ve been keeping your finger on the pulse of the sport’s news — you’ll notice many former tennis players switching to pickleball! Why? Is there something about the experience of playing tennis that draws people to pickleball?

It’s time to take a break from the usual “how to play pickleball” articles and dig into something that is — admittedly — a little controversial.

Who’s Making the Switch?

Right now, one of the latest tennis players to trade a racquet for a peddle is Jack Sock, who announced his jump to the pickleball court in August 2023.

Some other tennis-turned-pickleball players include:

• Donald Young
• Noah Rubin
• Sam Querrey

(As an interesting aside, most of those who played tennis have signed up with the Professional Pickleball Association. Both Donald Young and Sam Querrey are prime examples of the tennis-to-pickleball PPA pipeline.)

Many more retired tennis players have taken up pickleball as a hobby. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have become particularly vocal supporters of the sport.

The Tennis and Pickleball Rivalry

Needless to say, these changes aren’t popular with everyone. (Few things are unanimously popular in the world, anyhow!) Those switching from tennis to pickleball face backlash from each sport’s tight-knit community.

Some of the pushback is emotional. Some players (and fans) feel betrayed when a beloved tennis star trades their rackets for pickleball paddles. They may see the move as an illogical jump. By their reasoning, these players have spent years honing their craft; now, they’re throwing it out for a plastic ball!

Others have what some may consider “elitist” opinions. The smaller court and simpler rules of pickleball make some people believe it to be an “inferior” sport. This crowd considers the lightweight pickleball ball a poor imitation of the beloved tennis ball. Within this subset of naysayers — primarily composed of hardcore tennis enthusiasts — pickleball is a scaled-up version of table tennis.

Of course, neither of these opinions is truly correct. Each side has a few worthwhile points, but the emotionally charged rhetoric makes it impossible to discuss each game objectively. So, instead, let’s look at some factual reasons behind the tennis and pickleball showdown.

The Modern Racquet Sport Debate

In both pickleball and tennis, the entire game revolves around returns. One person serves; the opponent hits back. And that’s one of the first problems in this debate. Players on both sides of the aisle are digging in and refusing to compromise.

As he learned the basics of playing pickleball, Adam Gabbat, a reporter for The Guardian, saw a tennis player readying himself for a game. Gabbat waved and greeted him, but upon seeing Gabbat’s pickleball paddles — as noted in an October 2022 article — the tennis player merely “scowled and slammed the trunk of his Toyota Highlander.”

Similarly, on May 9, 2022, tennis star Martina Navratilova Tweeted, “I say if pickleball is that popular, let them build their own courts.”

Now, pickleballers are far from innocent in this battle.

Plenty of pickleball organizations tout their desire to “overtake” or “eliminate” tennis. Many individual players also emphasize the sports’ major differences with anti-tennis slogans and antagonistic clothing. In a particularly nasty incident, Arslan Gurney — a pickleball player in Denver, Colorado — used a permanent marker to map a pickleball court onto a basketball court. After some deliberation, Gurney was handed a not-so-nifty $5,000 fine.

In August of 2022, a group of irate pickleball players in San Diego, California, took the volatile rhetoric to heart. The group overran a tennis court and refused to leave. They played for 40 minutes before being removed by police.

The Spatial Problem

One of the biggest reasons for this wedge is space.

As of October 2022. USA Pickleball reports that there are over 10,000 registered pickleball facilities in the United States. Of those, a whopping 1,000 (yes! One thousand) were added in 2021. Ultimately, like tennis, pickleball requires playable courts, and, unfortunately, many cities don’t have enough money to create entirely new play areas. So, what happens?

Lately, the answer has been prioritizing pickleball. After all, pickleball has a smaller court size. You can easily fit four pickleball courts into one tennis court! So, everyone wins, right?

Again, the answer is a resounding “no.”

In 2022, Seattle, Washington, polled its park-goers about playing tennis and — as you may have guessed — playing pickleball. The results were as intriguing as they were disheartening. 72% of tennis players wanted more courts, bemoaning the sudden surge of pickleball’s popularity. Similarly, 83% of pickleball players complained of inadequate playing surfaces.

To make things simple: Both sides are losing.

Tennis Fans Hate Losing Experienced Players

Moreover, as pickleball becomes more accessible, professional interest in the sport increases proportionally. More tennis stars are taking note of this lower-impact sport and making the jump, which some tennis fans fear will cause a decline in their sport’s popularity. An even smaller subset of tennis players — those who make a living by coaching — are seeing decreasing enrollment as people trade their tennis racquet for a pickleball paddle.

On casual courts, the loss of casual tennis players is becoming a problem for smaller clubs. Each tennis-to-pickleball convert is another lost membership fee, and the impact grows with time. Eventually, some clubs find themselves unable to maintain their tennis courts. Like a tennis ball going down a hill, the problem only grows from there.

Do you see the pattern? We’re back to the issue of court availability.

Notably, aside from the key differences between these sports (which I’ll get to in a moment), many professional players are citing pay as a factor. As Forbes points out, pickleball tournament payouts can easily reach six figures. That’s a lot of money, and sponsorships only sweeten the deal.

Why Are People Switching to Pickleball?

So, what else is driving the great pickleball migration? Why are so many people fleeing the tennis courts and crowding onto the great pickleball court?

The answer is far from simple.

While some reasons — particularly the differing rule books — may be obvious, there are plenty of other factors driving so many players from tennis to pickleball.

Pickleball Is a Lower-Impact Sport

One of the biggest reasons for pickleball’s astronomical growth is its appealing, low-energy nature.

Remember those names from earlier? Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal aren’t the only retired tennis players embracing the non-volley zone. Many others, including athletes from other sports, have fallen for the low-impact game. It’s a game about control over power.

Of the many reasons for pickleball’s gentler nature, some of the most commonly cited include…

• Lower Speed: Most pickleball games are slow-paced. This puts less stress on players’ joints and contributes to its image as a “soft” game.
• Smaller Court Size: Anyone who’s played pickleball knows that the court is smaller. This makes it easier for older players to dominate a game.
• The Non-Volley Zone: Banning hard-hitting volleys helps beginners. You don’t need to be on edge, always ready to react quickly to a spike.

As John Wertheim notes, pickleball games are the perfect alternative to tennis. And, between the two sports, pickleball appeals to those “in the beginning and end” — when bodies can’t handle long stretches of a tense, high-strung, ready position.

That’s not to say it’s impossible to get injured, though. You still need to stretch before playing pickleball!

Everyone Calls Pickleball Easy… and It Kind of Is!

These factors also make pickleball a simple game.

Most people can learn the basics in a day or less, and experienced tennis players readily adapt to the different rules. For many, the most confusing elements of the game are the scoring system and pickleball’s two-bounce rule.

It is, of course, a somewhat new sport. It’s still in its infancy, and some spats within the community have shaken up the rules of the game. However, it’s an otherwise straightforward concept to grasp. You use a ping-pong-like paddle to bop a little wiffle ball back and forth. That’s it!

There are no complex plays to learn, nor are there any tennis-like skill-level spikes. Assuming you have the hand-eye coordination to play, you can readily tackle any opponent. All it takes is a solid surface, a pickleball ball, and a pickleball paddle.

On a Budget? Pickleball’s Your Best Friend

Finally, pickleball is cheap.

You can easily get an all-inclusive pickleball kit for $100, and that includes a pickleball net, paddle, ball, and shoes. For many tennis players, the cost is further reduced by the versatility of the sport. Tennis shoes are perfect for most pickleball courts, and tennis bags can be repurposed to fit the new game’s needs. Honestly, most tennis equipment — aside, of course, from the rackets and balls — can be used for pickleball.

The pickleball community is also infamously friendly. Anyone seeking introductory singles matches or doubles games can easily find someone to play with, and they may even get a loaner ball and paddle! In fact, a polite, earnest request for a beginner’s game may be the best strategy to start playing pickleball.

It’s the Recipe for Disharmony

Ultimately, it all adds up to the perfect storm.

Players are leaving tennis, picking up pickleball, and falling in love with the sport. It’s great for those who play pickleball, but it’s frustrating for long-time fans of tennis. Bureaucratically, the two sports have driven a wedge between communities. Without the funds to establish new courts, cities are forced to take advantage of pickleball’s smaller court size and convert tennis courts into pickleball courts. This ultimately leaves tennis players fewer places to play, further dividing pickleball and tennis.

However, we don’t need to fight.

We can get along and cross that rhetorical non-volley zone. After all, both pickleball and tennis are racket sports. If you want to win points with others, be considerate. Share the court and promote civil discussion in your community.

You might even want to direct those staunch tennis supporters to this website! We have plenty of beginner-friendly articles, how-to guides, pickleball tips, and relevant news.