Pickleball, a relatively new racquet sport in the fraternity has been making news all around the world and Rajasthan is not an exception.
It is a matter of great pride as Pink city gears up to host the Rajasthan State Pickleball championship -2023 at Sawai Man Singh Stadium( SMS) on 15th- 16th , July. This is going to be the first pickleball night tournament in the country.The event is going to witness the captivating matches for bronze,silver and gold medals under 23 odd categories that includes Under 19(Junior) categories,19+,35+,50+, 60+ women,men and mixed doubles.
Approximately 120 players from various pickleball clubs of the state are ready to get into the medal.
While many are still unaware of this Popular game, stealthily, the sport has strengthened its root all over the world including India. state that the finest player of Asia has grown big practising in the pickleball clubs of the state and has earned laurels for the country.
” Pickleball is a fantastic sport and has been accepted largely in major cities of India. It has also caught the attention of Bollywood celebrities like Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. We have currently 10 active clubs all over Rajasthan and we are sure to attract many youth to the sports ground,” said in unison the members of Rajasthan Pickleball Association.
Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport in which two players (singles), or four players (doubles), hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net in the middle using solid-faced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.
The pickleball court and the manner of play resemble tennis in some respects and ping-pong (table tennis) in others!
Pickleball is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States with over 4.8 million players in 2021 and an 11.5% average annual growth rate over the past 5 years. The sport was invented in 1965 by three fathers, including the late U.S. Representative Joel Pritchard, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. It tends to be a hybrid between badminton and table tennis, played on a tennis-style court. The sport garnered notoriety primarily during the Covid-19 pandemic, experiencing player growth of 21.3% from 2019 to 2020 and 14.8% from 2020 to 2021.
The primary appeal of the sport comes from its ease of learning and inclusivity of players across all age groups, making the sport very famous.
Pickleball shows significant untapped potential from an economic perspective when compared to its counterpart sport, tennis. Ultimately, this appears to show large potential to grow as a sport.
