TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL — A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN ?
BY JUSTIN MALOOF
USTA ’ s new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center .
At the invitation of the USTA , I had the privilege of spending a week at their showcase event — the US Open . This year , the USTA completed construction on their new 14,000- seat Louis Armstrong Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows , NY . The new stadium , complete with retractable roof , is spectacular and serves as a true complement to the 23,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium that also features a retractable roof and is billed as the largest tennis stadium in the world . While I was certainly familiar with this event over the years , the opportunity to attend was an eyeopening experience . The USTA has done an exceptional job establishing this tournament as not only the sport ’ s premier tournament , but also a true “ bucket list ” event for sports enthusiasts .
The opportunity to see the top tennis players in the world compete was special , but the purpose of the trip was a number of scheduled meetings with various USTA officials , tennis industry representatives and current and potential sponsors , all of whom were interested in discussing one thing — pickleball !
While most pickleball players are aware of the tennis / pickleball debate and co-existence issues , I ’ m happy to report the USTA officials I met with were very complimentary of USAPA ’ s efforts and the sport in general . In fact , in the July issue of Tennis Industry Magazine , the USTA announced a new pilot program with 60 grants available for tennis facilities looking to add blended pickleball lines to existing quick-start ( 10 and under ) tennis courts . In addition , six grants were made available for full , regulation blended pickleball lines . The purpose of the pilot is to gather feedback from facility owners , club managers and players to better understand the economic impact of adding pickleball at these facilities and how to proceed going forward . USAPA has been working with the USTA on the initiative and is encouraged by the ongoing dialog and willingness to perhaps embrace pickleball as a complement to tennis .
For those of us in the pickleball world , it ’ s no secret the sport has experienced a meteoric rise over the past five years . However , given the developments this year , the sport is now poised to burst into mainstream culture , considering USTA ’ s newfound interest , the Professional Tennis Registry ’ s launch of the Professional Pickleball Registry and of course USAPA ’ s new multi-year partnership with Indian Wells Tennis Garden to host the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships . Do you notice a theme ? The tennis industry has not only taken notice , but is now looking for ways to embrace pickleball in a complementary capacity . Not only is this great for the advancement of pickleball , it ’ s a healthy development for racquet / paddle sports in general .
As final preparations are underway for the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships ( November 3-11 in Indian Wells , CA ), I encourage everyone to experience the new tennis / pickleball “ marriage ” and attend this historic event . Much like my US Open tennis experience , attendees can expect to see the greatest pickleball players in the world compete in one of the greatest sports venues on the planet . This is the breakthrough opportunity I know our players have been waiting for and deservedly so . This pickleball tournament will be unlike any other on record and will elevate the sport ( and our top players ) like never before .
JUSTIN MALOOF USAPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018 | MAGAZINE 9