In an attempt to strike a balance between a sedentary lifestyle and health consciousness, the pickleball hype was born. Invented in the ‘60s, pickleball has really started to pick up in popularity. It was named the fastest-growing sport in the US for three years in a row—2021, 2022 and 2023—owing to its ease of learning, community-centricity and low space requirements.
World over, tennis and badminton courts are being adapted to pickleball courts with new dimensions being painted over them. Gaurav Natekar, Co-Founder and CEO of the World Pickleball League (WPBL) and seven-time Indian National Tennis Champion, tells us what the state of the sport looks like and the future it holds.
Global Hype, Local Penetration
During Covid-19 while pickleball went on a professional hiatus, it really was the pandemic that drew more people into the sport. The world was in search of an active lifestyle and pickleball’s low-impact, no-contact offering was a perfect fit. Undoubtedly, India does follow in the footsteps of the West. So when pickleball became all the hype in the US, it was only a matter of time before the well-travelled and erudite people of India brought it in. Natekar and his wife, who work in sports consulting, started to hear from different individuals that they wanted pickleball courts to be built. “That’s when I realised that pickleball was here to stay.”
Growing At The Grassroots
The All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) was set up in 2008. And from 2015 onwards, they did a lot of work for the promotion of the sport. Natekar realised that having a league in the country would help further the mission of the AIPA. The league would help increase the popularity of pickleball, expose Indian players to international talent and attract sponsorships.
“From our end, the league is just the starting point.” The WPBL, in collaboration with the AIPA, has plans to conduct tournaments at state and national levels and make the sport commercially viable for stakeholders. A veteran tennis player who has won two gold medals at the Asian Games for India, Natekar believes that the sports pie has grown larger in recent years. “The amount of corporate sponsorships and CSR spend going into sports has grown tremendously.”
As India moves towards becoming a healthier and fitter nation, brands are looking to make partnerships with sports leagues. Natekar talks of healthy growth signs he has noticed in sports at large. “Companies are interested in sports other than cricket. Athletes, too, in non-cricketing events are being funded well. And for new-age companies, pickleball offers a comparatively lower entry point while maintaining a significant ROI.”
As for building up talent, while kids in urban cities struggle with time and other distractions, there is a massive talent pool in rural areas where the kids have the hunger to succeed. And corporate money trickling down into smaller towns is the game changer. “All the biggest stars today come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities,” Natekar notes that there has been an explosion in achievements in various sports by Indians.
Why Is Tennis Threatened?
Tennis legends like John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova have expressed their mild disdain for pickleball claiming that it is “less athletic” and “lacks the intensity and depth of tennis.” There has also been criticism about adapting tennis courts to pickleball courts as it reduces their availability to tennis players. Since Natekar is a tennis veteran himself, it was only fitting to ask him what he thinks.
He explains that many of the millions of people taking to pickleball have never really learnt or practised another sport. It is also majorly age and gender-agnostic where “a five-year-old can compete with a 75-year-old and 40% of players are women.”
The low entry barrier and space requisites that come with pickleball have been a boon—one tennis court can double up to four pickleball courts. He does, however, agree that while the Grand Slams and Wimbledon will not be affected, at a base level, more people are adopting pickleball than other sports.
In 2023, The Apple Heart and Movement Study found that among Apple Watch users, the number of pickleball players had surpassed tennis for the first time. “Tennis and badminton are tough games to learn. Pickleball, on the other hand, you can pick up in one or two sessions.”
Brands Serve Innovation
Apart from players, pickleball is also more accessible to new-age brands that want to break free from the clutter and high costs of cricket. “Brands will really be coming in at a ground-floor level and building up the narrative of the sport.”
New-age brands coupled with a new-age game have created a fun playground for brands. At the inaugural season of WPBL, Natekar looks forward to the creative visions that will come to life. “Over the days leading up to the tournament, you will see some very different ideas come through, not only on social media but also in traditional media.”
Brace For D-Day
India's inaugural professional pickleball league is to commence on January 24, 2025, at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai. “It's inside the Brabourne Stadium which is an iconic venue. I can't remember the last time a non-cricket event happened inside the Brabourne Stadium on the hallowed turf of the CCI.”
Natekar is looking forward to the competitiveness that will be on full display during matches with a class of 48 players from 14 different countries. And for spectators, there will be other elements at play to command their attention in the form of entertainment—music concerts, stand-up comedy and food stalls.
The league is putting together a carnival of sorts that will draw in the crowds, even if it means that people won’t come exclusively for pickleball. “The team owners (Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Swiggy, Ajeenkya D Y Patil to name a few) are some very successful brands, businesses and individuals, so there will be some off-court competition as well!”