Tennis vs. Pickleball: A Possible Courtship?

< 5 min read  📖

Sports are meant to unite, create camaraderie, and foster a sense of community 🤝. However, recent tensions between tennis and pickleball enthusiasts across North America have brought the need for harmonious coexistence to the forefront. In this article, we will delve deeper into the issues that tennis players have encountered with pickleball and explore potential solutions to bridge the gap between these two racket sports communities. 

With more than 20 years of tennis and 5 years of padel experience under our belt here at Le Court Club, we were quite enthusiastic about giving pickleball a try before forming opinions on this rather… HOT topic. 🔥

So we played. And to our surprise, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Hold on, tennis enthusiasts, let us explain.

What about pickleball? 

With all the recently published studies, you’ve surely heard that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in North America. Pickleball courts are springing up in major cities across the continent, professional leagues are emerging, and substantial investments are being funnelled into the development of the sport. By 2023, an astonishing 37 million estimated players will be actively participating in pickleball in the United States alone, if not more. Even Tom Brady and LeBron James acquired pickleball teams! So, if LeBron and Brady are on board… It must be good, right? 

While the buzz surrounding pickleball is exciting, it raises the question: What implications does this have for tennis, and why is there a noticeable undercurrent of tension between the two communities? 💥💥 

 

 

Culprit #1 - Court Space and Availability

The central point of contention seems to revolve around the availability of courts. Tennis players have long enjoyed their courts, but as the popularity of pickleball continues to soar, some tennis courts have been converted into pickleball courts or shared facilities. This is especially true on public facilities where, in some cases, half of the tennis courts have already been converted to pickleball space. 

Transforming existing spaces is more cost-effective than finding new spaces and constructing new courts, making it a straightforward solution for city officials. This transition hasn't been without resistance, as tennis players may feel they are losing cherished spaces - which is understandable. Players face even longer wait times for court availability than before pickleball was a thing (Yes, there was already a shortage of tennis courts before the pickleball boom.) In extreme cases, things get settled in court - no pun intended. ⚖️⚖️

Here in Vancouver, we've observed a swift increase in pickleball courts at many public parks, where tennis once held complete sway. Pickleball players now usually have dedicated areas - but wait time for tennis has become quite overwhelming as more space gets converted to pickleball courts. 

You could argue that with the surge in the popularity of pickleball, some recreational tennis players might have transitioned to playing pickleball, thereby freeing up more space for others on tennis courts (Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard did it). Whether this shift compensates for the loss of tennis court space is an intriguing question we can’t answer today. Undeniably, tennis court space has been reduced, leading to longer wait times. 

 

Culprit #2 - Scheduling Conflicts

The battle over court time is another significant issue. Tennis players often have established practice schedules and regular matches. However, pickleball enthusiasts increasingly request court time during these peak hours, leading to disputes over who gets priority court access. And things can get heated rather quickly... 

Culprit #3 - Noise and Disturbance 

The unique sounds of pickleball, particularly the distinct "pop" 💨 of the plastic ball hitting the paddle, can disrupt the typically quieter environment tennis players can appreciate. Ask any tennis player what they think about pickleball. The first thing they're likely to mention is noise pollution. Pickleball manufacturers should seriously consider that as they innovate their product lines. In a nearby neighbourhood of ours, some residents complained so much about the noise that the city decided to remove a few pickleball courts and install noise-cancelling fences around the remaining space. Yes, it can get overwhelmingly noisy out there! But like any minor disturbance, you quickly get used to it. 

Culprit #4 - Different Playing Styles

When you compare tennis and pickleball, you're looking at two sports with their unique ways of playing, gear, and rules. These days, if we glance at a pickleball court, it's hard to miss how almost everyone seems to be into doubles. It's true that doubles means less sprinting 🏃‍♀️ than singles, but that doesn't mean it's any less strategic (trust us, we've tried both, playing with advanced players). Quite honestly, with a bigger racket, a much heavier ball and a larger court, it’s clear that tennis is more physically demanding than pickleball overall. And do tennis players like to hold this against pickleball folks? We don’t doubt it. 

Seeking Common Ground?

While the above points can lead to conflicts, it is crucial to acknowledge that tennis and pickleball offer unique and valuable experiences. We initially held some strong "a priori" opinions about pickleball, but we have to admit it's quite an enjoyable sport. It didn't take us long to purchase our first paddles, which surprisingly cost the same as a couple of tennis rackets. 

To address some of the above concerns and foster harmony, those are a few things that we think could help mitigate growing arguments between the 2 communities: 

#1 - Shared Facilities: Develop adaptable court infrastructure that can cater to both sports, ensuring that neither community feels marginalized. Shared spaces can help distribute resources more efficiently. In the end, when many tennis clubs are part of “Racquet clubs”, why not incorporate pickleball into the mix?

 

#2 - Transparent Scheduling: Establish a fair and transparent scheduling system that equitably allocates court time to tennis and pickleball players. This can help alleviate conflicts over prime hours and ensure everyone can access court time fairly. 

#3 - Education: Educate players about the benefits and unique aspects of both sports. Promote the importance of coexisting harmoniously and respecting each other's preferences. At the end of the day, both are racket sports that apparently "make you live longer" (to take with a grain of salt). We’d encourage any tennis player to at least try pickleball - your opinion on the sport might change for the better. Why not just play both? 

Our take 🙏🙏

Sports should serve as a means of bringing people together rather than driving them apart. By seeking common ground, we can ensure that tennis and pickleball continue to thrive side by side, uniting communities through the shared love of the racket game.

While tennis remains our beloved go-to sport here at Le Court Club, we've recently ventured into pickleball and thoroughly enjoyed it! It's essential to keep an open mind as new racket sports emerge, and we see it as a fantastic opportunity to learn and excel at a different sport. We also started playing beach tennis last summer and are loving the vibe!

When it comes to pickleball itself, we lean towards singles over doubles because of the higher intensity of play. But that's a topic for another time. We're just super curious to see what the future holds as new racket sports see the light of day - What we do know is that we need to start thinking about investing in a bigger space to store all that extra equipment!

So yes, we enjoyed playing pickleball, and will probably continue playing on top of all our tennis hours. 

Have thoughts and comments? Feel free to get in touch with us. We’d love to chat.

In the meantime, see you on court!  👋 🎾