- RacquetX conference in Miami revealed rise of the ‘cross-court consumer’
- Venues are diversifying to meet demand for pickleball, padel and tennis
- Although some are playing multiple racquet sports, others ‘stay in their lane’
It's no secret that pickleball has a somewhat fractious relationship with tennis as the sports battle for real estate in country clubs and public spaces across the US. But could that rivalry turn into companionship as the racquet sports family becomes ever more diverse? That was the main takeaway from the inaugural RacquetX festival at Miami Beach Convention Center in March, which brought pickleball, tennis, padel, POP tennis and other racquet/paddle swinging cousins together to learn from each other, network, and find common ground. '
A rising tide lifts all ships,' as the saying goes. Or, as one speaker at RacquetX cleverly put it, 'It's time to love all!'
Research by RacquetX revealed the emergence of a 'cross-court consumer' with 43% of responders playing more than one racquet sport in the last year or intending to diversify their play. The research also noted tremendous growth potential in public courts and clubs opening up access for all market segments (pickleball, tennis, padel, etc.). Venues are already adapting to this more diverse consumer demand. Life Time Fitness has introduced pickleball at many of its 200+ locations across the US. Life Time Tempe in Phoenix, AZ, has converted three outdoor tennis courts into 12 pickleball courts and an additional three indoors, replacing a basketball court. They host the bi-annual Life Time Tempe Fall Classic, regional tournaments, events for two local universities and a junior program.
Norma Sedillo, Tennis and Pickleball Coordinator at Life Time Tempe, said,
"Pickleball was not initially embraced by the tennis community here. It was seen as the ugly duckling. But things changed. I'd say 50% of my tennis players are now playing pickleball - but they are not abandoning tennis. They are playing both.” "They still have their strong ties within tennis but those communities are transitioning into pickleball. Once they start moving, they move in waves - the friendships remain but they are spending time together on both types of court."
Life Time's venue in Westchester, NY, has pickleball, tennis, and squash courts over 2,000 sq ft, whereas Life Time Sky in Manhattan (with two pickleball courts) has to be more selective with its use of space. Sky's Lead Pickleball Pro, Andy Peeke, hasn't witnessed a huge amount of cross-pollination between racquet sports.
"There's an incredible demand for pickleball so we have to follow that demand in deciding what to do with the space we have," he says. "If your four tennis courts aren't at capacity and there is demand for pickleball, clubs notice pretty quickly they can fit in 16 pickleball courts and not only quadruple their profits, but quadruple community satisfaction."
He describes Life Time Sky as "possibly the most DUPR-heavy club in the country:
"Here, your DUPR rating is your passport. If you're a 4.49 you're not entering a 4.5, otherwise we'd end up with a public park type of system. We're getting super competitive, but most of all, people love being part of our community."
On the first weekend in May 2024, Life Time Penn 1 opened its new pickleball courts with exhibitions by Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters, Tyson McGuffin and Life Time founder, chairman and CEO Bahram Akradi.Across the Atlantic, Imber Court Sports Club in southwest London (built on land formerly owned by King Henry VIII) has two pickleball courts, four padel courts and 15 tennis courts (four of those tennis courts will soon be converted into six padel and four pickleball courts). Clinton Lamprecht, founder of England Sports Group which coordinates all sports activities at the club, says he doesn't recognize the emergence of the so-called cross-court consumer.
"We haven't seen cross-pollination," he states. "People here tend to find their tribe and stick with it. We've probably only got half a dozen members who will actively play pickleball and padel. I'm curious to see whether we'll see more of that over the years."
Although Clinton believes tennis will suffer in the short term as pickleball and padel grow, he does believe in the 'rising tide lifts all ships' theory.
"The new sports are going to lower participation levels in tennis, there's no doubt about that. But it's also going to create opportunities for everyone in the racquet sports sector to increase participation overall between those three different racquet sports."
While demand from individuals to play multiple racquet sports doesn't appear to be universal yet, clubs are recognizing the need to diversify their offering of court types and appeal to all sectors. In time, this may lead to the racquet sports co-existing more happily and appreciating the potential of learning and thriving together.
