Tennis goes on the offensive to stop the rise of ‘heinous’ Pickleball

Hainline said he is concerned that tennis courts are increasingly being repurposed for pickleball use, according to The Associated Press.

“It was a great, organic, grassroots movement,” Hairnline said of pickleball’s rise, “but it was a little anti-tennis.”

The Associated Press notes that while pickleball was played at the French Open in May, it was not welcome at the US Open, now being held in Queens.

And the USTA is going on the offensive with a new game of its own: Red Ball Tennis. The USTA plans to begin piloting the game this spring, according to the organization’s website. The game features a smaller racket with strings, a lower net and a larger ball with low compression.

It’s ideal to play on pickleball courts, Hainline told the AP.

The head of America’s governing body for pickleball didn’t seem worried about the prospect of playing the Red Ball on the pickleball courts.

“I don’t like it, but there’s so much going on with pickleball, so many good things, I’m going to stick to what I can control, capitalizing on the growth and supporting this game,” said Pickleball USA CEO Mike Nealy. AP.

There is also a third competitive game in the mix: padel. But while it’s gaining in popularity, padel is played on larger indoor courts, meaning it doesn’t compete in the same turf wars.

Neither the USTA nor USA Pickleball immediately responded to Business Insider’s requests for comment.