Val Olson (from left), Rick Kamm, Steve David and Dee Haskins play up to the net during a pickleball game at Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2011.
If you are a regular viewer of Tennis TV, you might be wondering what the sport of ‘Pickleball’ is which is getting coverage on the channel
Pickleball is receiving considerable coverage on Tennis TV over the past few days and this has certainly not gone down well with Tennis fans. Tennis TV is meant to exclusively cover ATP and WTA events and fans are wondering what this new sport is all about. In this article, we take a look at the details of the sport.
Pickleball is a racket/paddle sport that was created by combining elements of several other racket sports. Two or four players use solid paddles to hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a net. The ball is much like a Wiffle ball, with 26–40 round holes. A pickleball court is similar to badminton, with a net similar to tennis, and the paddles are similar to those in table tennis.
Pickleball has made TV appearances, notably the Professional Pickleball Association’s 2021 and 2022 U.S. Opens, on CBS Sports, but the sport is having a more regular presence, thanks to Tennis Channel. During the PPA’s current season, some events are available on the network’s website or app, and others are split among those platforms and the linear television channel.
Pickleball continues to increase in popularity in the US, with pro tournaments packing stands and pickleball courts popping up around the country like daisies. As a result, Tennis Channel has bought the exclusive rights to telecast the sport on their platform. In 2021, Tennis Channel aired its first ever live pickleball tournament, the Orlando Cup, in Orlando, Florida.
“Pickleball’s unprecedented growth in recent years has been on Tennis Channel’s radar for a while,” said John MacDonald, senior vice president, content programming, Tennis Channel while officially announcing the tie-up with PPA. So, expect more coverage of Pickleball on Tennis Channel in the days to come!
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