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Racquet Sports: tennis, padel and pickleball
Tennis, padel, and pickleball are among the fastest-growing categories in the global sporting goods industry. We track the business story: brand strategies, participation trends, product launches, sponsorship economics, and the commercial dynamics driving the racquet sports boom.
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Participation data | Tennis | Padel | Pickleball | Wimbledon 2026
Racquet Sports 2026
Global active players, by sport
106M
35M
~22M
Tennis
Padel
Pickleball
Figures reflect active players — those who train, compete or play with some regularity, as opposed to having played only once or twice. Tennis: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024. Padel: FIP World Padel Report 2025, active amateur players. Pickleball: Global Pickleball Report 2026, defined as players who maintain regular training, competition or consistent play.
Sport participation
Racquet Sports: The 2026 State of Play
106 million tennis players, 35 million padel converts, 24 million pickleball players in the US alone. What the 2026 data tells brands and investors.
PARTICIPATION
Racquet Sports: The 2026 State of Play
106 million tennis players, 35 million padel converts, 24 million pickleball players in the US alone. What the 2026 data tells brands and investors.
Circana: padel shoe market equals tennis in Spain
For the first time, padel accounts for half of all racquet-sport shoe revenues in Spain, as an 18 percent surge offsets a contraction in tennis.
Padel hits all-time high in global search interest
Global search data confirm padel’s 2025 performance set a new baseline, with Indonesia, the UK and India emerging as rising markets.
US tennis hits record 27.3 million players
Adults 35+ drove nearly all growth, while more than 4.9 million Americans picked up a racquet for the first time.
Padel is in constant growth around the world, says latest FIP report
Active padel players now exceed 35 million globally according to the FIP World Padel Report 2025.
Padel set for 17% annual growth through 2027, says Playtomic
In Europe, growth appears to have been strongest in France, whose court total increased by 1,272 during 2024, the Global Padel Report for 2025 said.
France reaches 850,000 padel players
The 2025 Observatoire du Padel reveals significant growth in participation, with women and younger players driving new adoption.
Padel player numbers in Asia rise 20% in 2025
Data from the International Padel Federation shows Asia now boasts 2.2 million amateur padel players spread over 30 countries – a 20 percent year-on-year jump since 2025 – as well as 4,600 courts.
Tennis players, by region
35.3M
Asia · 33.4%
29.6M
Europe · 27.9%
28.8M
North America · 27.2%
8.8M
S. America
Oceania
1.8M
1.8M
Africa 0.9M
Tile area is proportional to regional share of global tennis players. Central America & Caribbean (0.7M, 0.6% share) omitted for legibility. Source: ITF Global Tennis Report 2024 via SGIE Racquet Sports: State of Play 2026.
LTA commits £1.6m to British university tennis and padel
Funding of £1.6 million (€1.9m) runs to 2029 and grows the partner network from 32 to 50 universities.
Head relaunches iPrestige and Prestige MP Limited
Both racquets launched globally Oct. 1: they draw on 2001, upgraded for both the nostalgic and the new players.
Kalshi becomes US Open’s official prediction market
Rival prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket have carved up professional tennis between them, with Kalshi securing exclusive rights at the US Open from 2026 and Polymarket already embedded in the ATP Tour. Questions remain over integrity, player safety and the sport’s commercial direction.
adidas brings CLIMACOOL cooling to US Open tennis
Running, football, now tennis: CLIMACOOL keeps showing up, part of a platform adidas has been building all year.
FILA signs Malaysia regional team, backs rising-talent strategy
The sponsorship deal confirms FILA is prioritizing emerging players over marquee tour names.
ASICS lights up US Open night sessions again
Purple tones, cationic yarn and two new shoes: ASICS’ night-session collection gets a sequel.
Federer’s Hall of Fame week is also an On brand moment
A tribute night, an On limited edition sneaker and a Basel film show why Federer remains tennis’ clearest role model.
ASICS chases New York energy with new tennis shoe
The GEL-Challenger 15 extends the Stability logic from ASICS’ Playing Styles system to a lower price point, and to a second use this year.
US Open 2026: an essential brand guide
A breakdown of the sporting goods brands, athletes, rackets and product launches at the 2026 US Open.
Fourteen named World Tennis’s official apparel supplier
The two-year deal covers bespoke apparel for officials, umpires and coaches across World Tennis’s global events.
Ellesse builds US headquarters in Dallas
Ellesse’s US comeback runs through Dallas, with a new HQ, e-commerce relaunch and a tennis-first playbook
UK tennis body LTA turns to VC firm Redrice for growth
The tie-up will target innovations in facilities, technology and player pathways in tennis and padel.
Padel courts, by country and market phase
2025 court counts, top markets
Maturity / consolidation
Mature / growing
Rapid growth / initial expansion
Spain
17,300
Italy
10,220
Argentina
7,000
Sweden
4,220
France
4,000
UK
1,000+
Germany
875+
US
700+
Bar length is proportional to court count. Florida holds 41% of US courts. Source: FIP World Padel Report 2025.
Decathlon brings recycled carbon fiber to padel
Decathlon says swapping in recycled carbon cuts the hitting face’s footprint by about 31 percent. Suggested price: €130.
Meet the challenger: a local racket on Indonesia’s courts
Noble Heist competes with global names on recall, price and community trust, selling via padel clubs.
FIP World Padel Report 2026: 40 million players
FIP counts 91,234 courts, up 17.9 percent in ten months, and €6.84 billion of yearly padel spending, worth €8.6 billion of GDP.
Premier Padel to sell data, streams to betting industry
Premier Padel has appointed iGame Media as its exclusive distributor of official betting data and live streams, covering more than 2,400 matches a year from the 2027 season – a deal the tour says will generate new revenue to reinvest in the professional game.
Lacoste launches first padel collection
Two racquets, shoes, a bag and apparel. Lacoste is in padel, and the rackets come from a company it already owns.
Babolat renews 4PADEL supply deal for four more years
The partnership, running since 2018, adds a co-branded product collection and backs 4PADEL’s expansion into Germany.
Slazenger Padel opens 4th UK club in Exeter retail park
The Exeter club adds nine padel and two pickleball courts, taking Slazenger Padel to four UK sites.
ASICS named apparel partner for Paris padel major
The Roland-Garros tie-up is the latest step in a multi-year ASICS expansion into padel.
Agassi’s venture launches global padel, pickleball network
Steffi Graf will lead the Germany rollout and Darren Cahill the Australia rollout, ASE’s first two markets.
Intl Padel Cluster to exhibit at Padelness e Sport 2026
IPC secures its own stand at Padelness e Sport 2026 as it eyes Italy’s booming market
Decathlon plants padel flag at UK’s first pro tour stop
With UK padel players topping 1 million this year, the retailer is counting on Olympia London to convert fans into customers.
Premier Padel names Fanatics master licensee in retail deal
Padel’s biggest tour just got a retail partner used to running NFL and NBA merchandise.
Pickleball players in the US, by age
Share of total players, 2024
Largest single age band
Largest core-player segment (8+ times/year)
Age 6–12
11.2%
Age 13–17
9.1%
Age 18–24
14.2%
Age 25–34
16.0%
Age 35–44
12.3%
Age 45–54
9.4%
Age 55–64
12.7%
Age 65+
15.1%
Bar length is proportional to share of total US pickleball players. Age 25–34 is the largest single age band by headcount, but players aged 45+ make up the majority (56.5%) of core players — those who play 8 or more times a year. Gender split: 58.6% male, 41.4% female. Source: SFIA, 2024.
JOOLA POWER FX: player demand meets foam construction
The American-owned brand says foam reached market only once the material could deliver feel as well as power.
Agassi’s venture launches global padel, pickleball network
Steffi Graf will lead the Germany rollout and Darren Cahill the Australia rollout, ASE’s first two markets.
Paddletek buys pickleball paddle maker PIKKL
PIKKL joins a portfolio spanning Bantam, Tempest and Honeyfoam, as Paddletek also signs three unrelated pro Johnsons.
Meet the Challenger: Joma
Joma has crossed €200 million while refusing to enter lifestyle - a constraint it calls a competitive asset.
Joola settles pickleball patent row with Paddletek
Paddle maker Paddletek and ProXR Pickleball agree to add Joola’s propulsion core patent number to products and pay royalties.
Pickleball goes vertical, again
Six businesses, one holding structure, one CEO — and Apollo Sports Capital writing the cheque.
Joola sues 11 paddle brands over pickleball patent
The table tennis and pickleball specialist is seeking a US import ban on paddles from competitors including Adidas Pickleball and Paddletek.
Australian tennis player Kyrgios joins The Picklr
The tennis star is betting on pickleball’s boom with a new investment and ambassador role.
Joma supplying official shoe to Pickle Pro Tour
The Spanish footwear brand’s 2024 pickleball entry has secured an official circuit deal – the first of its kind in European pickleball.
Stria Sport brings aboard NBA’s Andre Drummond
76ers center Drummond takes an ownership position at Stria Sport, a Chicago indie basketball brand, also joining as Creative Director.
Agassi sports company plans World Series of Pickleball
The tennis legend’s racquet sports company teams up with UEFA Champions League architects TEAM Marketing to build a global pickleball championship.
Private equity invests in pickleball’s leading US manufacturer
Pickleball manufacturer Selkirk Sport has secured its first external investment from private equity firm Bluestone Equity Partners as the company continues its rapid growth.
Wimbledon 2026
Paddletek buys pickleball paddle maker PIKKL
PIKKL joins a portfolio spanning Bantam, Tempest and Honeyfoam, as Paddletek also signs three unrelated pro Johnsons.
Asian tennis athletes are no longer the backup option
Once an afterthought, Asian stars like China’s Zheng Qinwen now command top sponsorship dollars, rewriting who brands back.
The Slazenger brand revival is a 43-minute comedy film
Yes, comedy. Slazenger’s answer to decades of decline is a 43-minute film starring its 23-year-old creative director.
Kostyuk reaches Wimbledon quarterfinal in Wilson dress
Her second Wilson dress sold out in days. Now Marta Kostyuk has matched it with her first Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Djokovic joins General Atlantic as strategic advisor
The $126 billion firm hired Djokovic to co-invest in sport and health deals. He will also bring his voice to tennis’s governance debate.
H&M MOVE sells the scent of tennis season
Court Line pairs activewear with fragrance in a launch that treats tennis season as a full sensory lifestyle concept.
She’s a brand…and she´s back at 44
Serena Williams’ return to Wimbledon at 44 as a wildcard has left has left two of key sponsors exposed.
TF rebrands as World Tennis from January 2026
Seven bodies, fragmented rights, $3.5bn Gaudenzi says could double. World Tennis inherits the ITF’s governance problem unchanged.
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