Racket Sports Briefing No. 29
WORTH A READ
Polymarket Becomes the ATP Tour's Official Prediction Market Partner
About 20,000 matches a year, from Indian Wells to the ATP Finals, will now stream live on Polymarket, marking tennis's biggest step yet into the prediction market business… read more.
How The DC Open Quadrupled Revenues
Ticketing, sponsorships and concessions have driven a 4x jump in DC Open revenue since Mark Ein bought the tournament in 2019, while prize money is up 91% over the same stretch… read more.
Breaking Down The Business Side Of Major League Pickleball
MLP's trade deadline saw a $1.2M top draft pick and a $400K rental, a real-time look at three very different ownership bets on the league's future value… read more.
Agassi's New Company Wants to Own Padel and Pickleball Worldwide
Andre Agassi's new sports entertainment company just launched a global push into padel and pickleball clubs, tapping tennis legends Steffi Graf and Darren Cahill to lead expansion into Germany and Australia first… read more.
A $5M Pickleball Complex Just Got Canceled
A company walked away from a signed 20-year lease and a $5M complex near Myrtle Beach's airport, deciding the market had cooled faster than its business plan could keep up… read more.
Crivit’s Padel Collection Just Got a Steffi Graf Makeover
Lidl's in-house brand just put a $75 padel racket designed with Steffi Graf on shelves, proof padel is now premium enough for mass retailers to chase margin, not just volume… read more.
Virginia Club Sold To Firm That’s Betting Big On Padel
A Northern Virginia padel operator just paid $900K for a 20-year-old Richmond-area tennis club, the latest sign padel is buying its way into America's second-tier cities before tennis ever did… read more.
Djokovic and Alcaraz Are Back for Riyadh's $6M Payday
Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner are heading back to Riyadh for a $6M October exhibition payday, no ranking points required… read more.
Zverev Says More Money Won't Fix Masters Withdrawal Djokovic Problem
The #3 world-ranked player claims that Djokovic, sitting on north of $400M, isn't skipping Masters events for the money. He's skipping them because the events run too long.… read more.
A WNBA Owner and Her Daughter Built Seattle's Newest Pickleball Club
A Seattle Storm co-owner and her daughter turned a family-owned lot into a 20-court indoor pickleball club, the same playbook that built the WNBA's first standalone practice facility… read more.
THE PADEL PR COLUMN
Ben Nichols, Padel 22 Founder
Padel Has A Continent It Hasn’t Priced In Yet… read more.