As newly painted lines and lower nets fill the tennis courts at Jimmy Moore Park, where the boys tennis team practiced last season, they are forced to relocate where the girls team practices and share six courts. The change has brought conflict to both teams, and it is a result of the growing popularity of pickleball.
“The boys had to come to our courts at Hoover [Sports Complex], so now we only have three courts each to practice on,” sophomore tennis player Ava Paullin said. “It makes it a lot harder for us because we have to have smaller teams.”
Junior and tennis player Kirin Reiter said he also sees the negative effects of the change.
“We had to cut more people from the team [this year], and there have been more disruptions in practice,” Reiter said. “Also, not only are the courts more cramped, but they are generally farther away from players’ houses, causing more trouble in navigating to practices and matches.”
Despite these conflicts, Reiter said he doesn’t think it will have a big impact on the season. “The matches are set up so that the boys and girls always have the opposite of home and away during matches,” Reiter said. “This means that it won’t take longer to play during game days, as we will have access to the full six courts.”
The addition of pickleball courts at the Jimmy Moore complex was only one example of the much larger impact of pickleball growing rapidly in America. For Paullin, the increasing popularity of pickleball has also affected the courts where she plays for fun.
“They added pickleball courts to my neighborhood courts, and it’s bad because the pickleball players keep taking the tennis courts, so I can’t play,” Paullin said. “If there are tennis courts available, the pickleballers try to kick [tennis players] off so they
can use them.”
Even with this conflict, Paullin said she hopes the two sports can coexist and stop fighting over courts. Reiter said he agrees, as he plays pickleball as well.
“I don’t really mind pickleball becoming more popular, as I actually enjoy playing it myself,” Reiter said. “It’s a fun way to get exercise, and it’s often fun [while teaching] quick hand-eye coordination to youth as well.”
Junior and recreational pickleball player Sophie Miles said she sees the benefits of pickleball, as well as the effects it has on tennis players.
“I enjoy playing [pickleball], and it’s not too hard to pick up,” Miles said. “I can see the conflict, because my sister is a tennis player, and I hear what she thinks about it and how pickleball takes over tennis courts. But at the same time, she enjoys pickleball, so I don’t think it’s a serious conflict.”
According to the U.S. Tennis Association, there has been a 223% surge in pickleball popularity, leading to over 8,000 tennis courts across the nation being transformed into pickleball courts since 2020.
“If the goal of the sports complex is for competition, then its priority should be tennis courts,” Miles said. “If it’s promoting community, pickleball courts should take priority.”
