Pickleball is on a roll—in India too. The sport has been exploding on the social scene at a speed perhaps higher than that of the perforated plastic ball with which it is played.
Thrown in the mix is a square-shaped stretched-out ping-pong racquet, over the lowered tennis net in a badminton-sized court. Despite the identity crises of the sport, as passionately pointed out by very few of its critics, the sport has been booming in metros and tier II cities alike.
Pickleball clubs and courts, surge alike
In the 80s what was strictly a backyard game or restricted to parking lots and alleys has come to the fore of cultural spaces and socials alike. Among those going beyond a game or two, is India’s former professional tennis player Sania Mirza, whose podcast Serving Up with Sania involves each episode kicking off with a pickleball match with her guest, followed by candid conversations and unscripted moments on and off the court. Not the only tennis sensation backing it up. This year, Andre Agassi made his professional pickleball debut at the US Open Pickleball Championships in Florida.
While Sania may not have traded her tennis gear for pickleball racquet for good, she has admitted to it being gentler on her body as compared to tennis.
According to the 2024 Sports and Fitness Industry Association report, the game has grown to 13.6 million players in the US. Apart from lifestyle, technology and even food content creators joining in the bandwagon of their stint on the pickleball court, there are niche influencers dedicated to the sport itself. Professional pickleball player and influencer Tyson McGuffin commands a formidable following as a result of his on and off the court pursuits. Eventually, it’s the nature of the game; borrowing the best of most racket sports and cashing in on a smaller court, slower pace, lower intensity and its social nature that’s working for it.
The cons are a few, but not far between
While the sport may be relatively old, its revival is brand new and like with most things recent, the pickleball community is still figuring out the cons of the game.
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According to a research article published in JAMA Ophthalmology this year, pickleball-related eye injuries have more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, exceeding 400 cases annually as compared to the previous decade. “The alarming rate comes to the fore as the sport continues to grow in popularity,” said the authors.
For analysis, researchers relied on injury data kept by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and found that between 2005 and 2024 there were an estimated 3,112 pickleball related eye-injuries in the US. Of the menacingly high number, as many as 1,250 injuries were documented in 2024 alone. Of the total, 43 per cent of injuries involved a direct hit from the ball.
According to the doctors from New Jersey who were a part of the study, retinal detachment, broken eye sockets, eye bleeding were some of the other grave injuries. No laughing matter even though actress Michelle Pfeiffer laughed her black eye caught from the game. “You’ve got your work cut out for you,” said the actress tagging her make-up artist after sustaining a bruised eye in 2023.
What makes it click?
Little wonder that the sudden surge in popularity has made a few sit up, wanting to dig further. “What is this sport that everyone’s going crazy about?”
Nikolas Webster, sport management clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, wondered too. As a part of the team conducting the study Understanding the Evolving Motivations in the Expanding World of Pickleball Participation, Webster noted a few interesting patterns to the game. The study revealed that many athletes who had previously played tennis turned to pickleball, after injury, ageing limitations, or simply once they were past their prime.
Research studies apart, representation in pop culture remains one of the ultimate markers of a sport’s mainstream reach. Slated for a release soon, The Dink, is based on the game and stars Ben Stiller as a washed-up tennis pro reluctantly crutching onto pickleball to save himself.
Actor Jamie Foxx’s obsession is well-known in the sport, as are his pickleball-themed parties at his Los Angeles estate. A few years ago, Foxx started a company that designs and manufactures paddles for the sport and since then the actor has turned around his three-court compound into a launchpad, a networking place and venue for pickle parties. The organisers claim what would start as a 50-person invite-only event has grown to 400 in the past. Pretty much in sync with other statistics defining the sport, both good and bad.
By Manpriya Singh
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