Racket Sports Briefing No. 38
WORTH A READ
Messi, Ronaldo And Alcaraz Are Obsessed. Now Padel Is One Step Closer To The Olympics
Padel made its Asian Games debut in Nagoya with 88 players from 13 nations, the biggest multi-sport stage the sport has played on yet… read more.
A Popular N.J. Pickleball Club Just Shut Its Brand New 18-Court Indoor Facility
Premier Pickleball Club closed the doors with almost no warning, more proof that court count alone doesn't keep an indoor club alive… read more.
Why Are Pickleball Clubs Closing: The Brutal Math
A 10-court club averaging $6,400 per court a month brings in about $768K a year, well short of the roughly $1M it takes to cover a $50K monthly lease… read more.
Florida's Biggest Indoor Pickleball And Padel Club Opens In Boca Next Month
Boca Paddle by CityPickle's $20M, 100,000 sq ft Boca Paddle has 25 courts, a 1,000 seat stadium court and memberships from $49 with no initiation fee… read more.
Playtomic Just Bought A Gym Software Company. Padel Isn't The Whole Plan Anymore
TIMP brings 3,500+ fitness centers in Spain and Italy to a platform already serving 6,500 clubs and 4.7M players… read more.
The WTA Just Closed The Pay Gap At Its Biggest Events. It's Also Projecting A $23M Loss
Rome, Canada and Cincinnati move to equal prize money in 2027, while the tour reportedly finishes 2026 with about $11M in cash… read more.
Jack Nicklaus Could Lead An $80M Crandon Park Overhaul, With 8 Padel And 8 Pickleball Courts
The old Miami Open site would drop from 37 tennis courts to 27, and the plan still needs a yes from the same panel that killed the Miami Open's $50M expansion in 2019… read more.
Padel Is Coming To American College Campuses, And Bela Is Leading The Charge
The Wilson ACPL launches this month with 200 students from 30 schools, courts built right on campus and national finals in March… read more.
There Are 4,000 Private Clubs In The U.S., But Only 1% Have Padel
Fort Wayne Country Club's Brock Orlowski joins Off The Glass to sell padel as the next amenity after tennis and pickleball, calling it "a question of when, not if"… read more.
Ex-Tennis Pros Aren't Dabbling In Pickleball Anymore, They're Beating The Best
Jack Sock leads a wave of former ATP and WTA players who've gone from exhibition novelty to real threats on the pro tour… read more.
THE PADEL PR COLUMN
Ben Nichols, The 22 Founder
A Swiss Bank, An Irish Entrepreneur, A London Council And A Reggaeton Legend All Made The Same Bet This Year read.