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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Wimbledon 2026 | Participation data | Tennis | Padel | Pickleball
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.
Wimbledon 2026
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.
New Balance and Miu Miu launch Wimbledon collection
Tennis has always been fashion. The sport’s most watched tournament now has its most pointed collab yet.
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.
New Balance and Miu Miu launch Wimbledon collection
Tennis has always been fashion. The sport’s most watched tournament now has its most pointed collab yet.
adidas launches CLIMACOOL+ fabric for tennis
CLIMACOOL+ uses raised structures to lift fabric off the body: a structural, not chemical, answer to heat and sweat.
ASICS aims for decision simplicity at retail
ASICS cuts through tennis footwear complexity with a two-profile system built around how players move on court.
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.
Federer: from champion to billionaire investor
The Swiss tennis legend’s On stake and Uniqlo deal drive a $1.1bn fortune, placing him among a handful of athletes on Forbes’ 2026 billionaires list.
UK tennis No. 1 Emma Raducanu reportedly joins Uniqlo
Raducanu reportedly set for a $3.5M annual deal with the Japanese brand, confirmation expected at Indian Wells next week.
Tennis star Barbora Krejčíková confirms Vuori deal
The 2024 Wimbledon champion’s move to the California athleisure brand marks Vuori’s highest-profile WTA signing to date.
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.
Nike designs custom look for Jannik Sinner
The tennis champion received a one-of-one design incorporating his Alpine heritage and skiing background for appearances during the Winter Games.
Diadora cuts 27 jobs in strategic shift
The Italian brand reaches agreement with unions for voluntary exits with enhanced severance packages as wholesale pressures mount.
PTPA seeking outside capital, per report
Players’ union explores $1bn raise to reshape tennis governance and commercial control.
Australian Open tests event-driven retail model
Tennis Australia’s Fed Square pop-up blends merchandise, art, and activations to test if temporary retail can extend major events beyond venue gates.
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.
Nike to enter padel?
Nike contacted Spanish padel brand Nox seeking world No. 1 Tapia, whose contract runs to 2028, per Nox founder Ballvé.
Padel earns medal status at South American Games
FIP adds South America to a continental multi-sport calendar that now spans four continents and six events by 2027.
HEAD named official ball of amateur padel circuit
Austrian manufacturer HEAD has secured its first official ball deal with the world’s largest amateur padel circuit, with a global rollout already in the works.
Lamborghini and Babolat bring five new looks to padel
The 2024 automotive-racket crossover returns with five colorways, as luxury co-branding in padel intensifies.
Everything padel has become is coming to Barcelona in May 2026
The British army, a former champion and the global federation of padel walk into a trade show. It’s not a joke, but the set-up for the Padel Summit.
ISO 25808: Establishing global standards for the padel industry
The padel industry is building its first global technical standard. Here’s what ISO 25808 means for investors, operators and court builders.
Padel joins Asian Indoor Games 2026 as medal sport
The OCA adds padel to the Riyadh 2026 program, giving the sport back-to-back inclusions at major Asian multi-sport events in the same calendar year.
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.
Premier Padel makes UK debut in London
The elite padel circuit arrives in the UK for the first time, as Olympia hosts a P1-tier event amid surging British participation.
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.
US wearable brand Whoop signs Premier Padel deal
The Boston-based wearable brand will equip all athletes on the circuit and extend into coach education via the FIP Academy.
North America’s Pro Padel League raises $15m
The North American professional padel circuit has closed its second major funding round in 12 months as franchise values surge past $10 million.
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.
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.
Playtomic scores crowdfunding coup
Racquet-sport app Playtomic has raised €5.1 million from 4,600 investors in what appears to be a record crowdfunding round for a sports app.
Nike signs world No. 1 pickleball player
Nike enters pickleball with world No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters as global ambassador, marking strategic bet on sport with 19.8m US players.
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