Hello dear readers, friends, and racket sports enthusiasts.

April brings a powerful mix of momentum, reflection, and forward thinking across the racquet sports industry, and this issue of Racket Business captures it all.

We begin with a clear look at the big-picture forces shaping the game. From the debate sparked in Stadiums Over Courts, questioning where investment is really going, to the rapid evolution of private coaching models in Disrupting the Country Club, this issue challenges long-held assumptions about how and where our sports grow. At the same time, emerging voices and initiatives like SETS is Making Waves and our new Building in Public series highlight a shared commitment to transparency, innovation, and putting professionals first.

This month Rich’s publisher’s note take a critical look at the USTA’s direction, suggesting that mounting financial pressure and declining membership have pushed the organisation into increasingly aggressive—and perhaps uneasy—efforts to drive growth through initiatives like pickleball expansion and rebranding. Rich argues that behind the scenes, confidence in traditional tennis pathways is weakening, with leadership appearing more focused on revenue and survival than on meaningful engagement or innovation for players and coaches.

Gary Horvath explores how tennis participation varies significantly across USTA sections, highlighting that growth is uneven and heavily influenced by local factors such as culture, facilities, and programme quality rather than simply population size. While overall participation numbers remain strong, his piece suggests that these regional disparities reveal deeper challenges for the sport—particularly around engagement, retention, and converting casual players into regular participants.

April also brings insights from across the global stage. Our RacquetX 2026 Wrap-up reflects on one of the industry’s most important gatherings, while dedicated coverage of racquetball, padel, and international coaching perspectives, from Europe to the Middle East, illustrates how interconnected and fast-moving this ecosystem has become. The rise of padel, in particular, continues to reshape the conversation around tennis, not as a replacement, but as a catalyst for reinvention.

In our ‘Knowledge is Power’ section, we dive deeper into the ideas shaping the future of coaching and leadership. From the role of AI in redefining—not replacing—coaches, to the risks of diluted standards in coaching education, to breakthroughs in accessibility and training systems, the message is clear: progress depends on both innovation and accountability. Add to that perspectives on technology, continuous learning, and the realities faced “in the trenches,” and you’ll find no shortage of practical insight.

Finally, we round out the issue with essential updates, from industry calendars and certifications to thought leadership on facilities, membership, and professional growth, ensuring you stay informed and connected.

Whether you’re leading a club, building a business, or developing players, this month’s issue is designed to challenge your thinking, sharpen your perspective, and help you navigate what’s next in racquet sports.

If you have insights, ideas, or industry experience to share, we invite you to contribute to RacketBusiness — because the conversations that shape our sport start with voices like yours. 👉 Write for RacketBusiness

Enjoy the issue, stay curious, and keep swinging forward.

See you courtside,

Rich & Tim (Learn more about us)

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From inside the lines…

An exclusive series of short features, only available to newsletter subscribers, from the owner’s of Racket Business. This month…

The Entrepreneurial Boom in Racket Sports: An Industry in Its Own Industrial Revolution

The racket sports industry is undergoing a profound transformation, one increasingly driven not by governing bodies or legacy institutions, but by entrepreneurs. From facility operators and tech platforms to apparel brands and event innovators, a new generation of business builders is reshaping how racket sports are played, consumed, and monetised. The data suggests this is not incremental growth, it is exponential, and arguably comparable to an “industrial revolution” moment for the sector.

At the centre of this shift is participation growth. Padel, in particular, has become the clearest indicator of industry acceleration. Globally, participation has surpassed 30–35 million players, with double-digit annual growth across clubs, courts, and federations . In the UK alone, the number of players has increased by over 2,500% since 2019, rising from around 15,000 to more than 400,000 . Even more striking, participation through booking platforms grew by 125% while the number of clubs on those platforms more than doubled in a single year .

This level of expansion is not organic, it is being engineered. Entrepreneurs are identifying gaps in infrastructure, access, and experience, and rapidly deploying capital and innovation to fill them. In 2024 alone, more than 3,000 new padel clubs were launched globally, equivalent to nearly nine new facilities per day . This mirrors startup ecosystem dynamics more closely than traditional sports development.

What defines this entrepreneurial wave is its diversity. Operators are building premium, hospitality-led clubs that blend sport with wellness and social experiences. Technology founders are creating booking ecosystems and community platforms that lower friction to entry. Investors are backing leagues and franchises, with some projections valuing the global padel market at over $7 billion in the near term. These are not isolated ventures, they are interconnected nodes forming a rapidly scaling industry network.

This “industrialisation” of racket sports has several important implications for the sector’s long-term health.

First, it increases accessibility. New formats, such as padel and pickleball, are easier to learn and inherently social, lowering barriers to entry and broadening demographic reach. This has resulted in a surge of first-time players, an essential pipeline for sustained growth.

Second, it accelerates infrastructure development. Entrepreneur-led investment is expanding court supply at a pace that traditional federations could not achieve alone. In the UK, the number of padel courts has grown from just 68 in 2019 to over 1,000 by 2025, with continued rapid expansion expected .

Third, it drives innovation in the consumer experience. From app-based booking systems to hybrid sport-leisure venues, entrepreneurs are redefining how players engage with racket sports, making them more convenient, social, and commercially viable.

Finally, it creates a more resilient ecosystem. A broader base of independent operators, startups, and investors reduces reliance on a single governing structure and introduces competitive dynamism into the market.

In many ways, the racket sports industry is transitioning from a federation-led model to a market-driven one. This shift, fuelled by entrepreneurial energy, capital investment, and surging participation resembles the early stages of an industrial revolution: rapid scaling, infrastructure build-out, and innovation across the value chain.

For the health of racket sports globally, this is overwhelmingly positive. More businesses mean more courts, more players, more jobs, and more visibility. The challenge now is not growth, but managing it sustainably, ensuring quality, accessibility, and long-term engagement keep pace with expansion.

The revolution is already underway. The opportunity is to shape it.

^{Please note that all of our content is created by human professionals. While we utilize Generative AI technology to assist in correcting syntax and grammar, our articles are written entirely by our team of experts. We value the expertise and creativity of our human writers in delivering high-quality content to our readers.}