Novak Djokovic, widely regarded as the GOAT, has long emphasized the importance of tennis evolving.
Talking to the media at Wimbledon last month, the Grand Slam king highlighted the need for tennis institutions to unify and recognize the emotional appeal and rapid growth of other racquet sports.
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These sports are expanding so quickly that tennis courts are being converted to accommodate them, as they are more enjoyable and easier to play for people of all ages and skill levels.
“I think collectively we all have to come together and understand how to maintain the sport's, let's say, foundation or create a new foundation, a cornerstone of really what tennis is about, which is the base level, right, the club level,” Novak Djokovic told the media at Wimbledon. “Now we have the paddle or padel, as you call it in the States, that is growing and emerging. People kind of have fun with it and say, Yeah, but tennis is tennis.
“Tennis is the king or queen of all the racquet sports, that's true. But on a club level, tennis is endangered. If we don't do something about it, as I said, globally or collectively, paddle, pickle ball in States, they're going to convert all the tennis clubs into paddle and pickle ball because it's just more economical.
“You have one tennis court. You can build three paddle courts on one tennis court. You do the simple math. It's just much more financially viable for an owner of a club to have those courts.”
The Olympic gold-medal champion's call to action underscores the urgency of evolving tennis to ensure its continued popularity and accessibility.
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Gymnastics is considered the most difficult sport, followed by golf. Tennis ranks as the third most technically challenging sport, requiring a combination of speed, agility (starting, accelerating, braking, changing direction, recovering), and endurance. The most difficult and crucial skill is maintaining the proper distance to the ball at the point of contact, especially while on the move.
This complexity is further compounded by the need to adapt tactics based on the opponent's actions during each shot. At the competitive level, tennis becomes even more demanding.
Players must adapt to four different surfaces, varying altitudes, and other often-overlooked factors such as the balls, which differ in characteristics like speed, bounce, and durability across tournaments. These numerous variables contribute to the complexity of mastering this beautiful sport.
Around the 1990s, paddle tennis gained significant popularity. It was common to see paddle tennis matches in Spanish parks, played on glass courts to the delight of everyone present. Portable courts were used to promote the sport, and it quickly gained traction. I remember seeing similar courts under bridges during my visits to Argentina.
However, the initial enthusiasm eventually waned, and those paddle courts under the bridges reverted to foot-sal. The sport's directors realized that to avoid stagnation, they needed to make fundamental changes. Without these changes, and sticking to rules fervently defended by some of the old guard, paddle tennis risked becoming a niche sport.
One of the key changes was allowing the use of wall rebounds, making the sport easier and more enjoyable for a broader audience.
At the Guadalajara Country Club in Mexico, one of the clubs I manage and perhaps the most prestigious in the country, it is remarkable to see how many people have switched from tennis to paddle tennis. I arrive at 6 a.m., and the paddle courts are already full; when I leave at 10 p.m., they are still packed.
In the United States, pickleball is gaining incredible momentum. Everyone is playing it, from young athletes to older individuals, many of whom are former tennis players who have switched rackets. Public facilities that once had 10 tennis courts now often have just 3 tennis courts, with the rest converted to pickleball courts. On weekends, it's common to see the pickleball courts packed while the tennis courts remain empty.
When I say everyone is into pickleball, I’m not exaggerating. If there's a tournament in Florida, you can spot Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and many other legends playing in the event. At our academy, we host adult tennis groups about three times a year, typically with around 30 participants, which we consider a good number. In contrast, our pickleball groups have about 300 participants and meet at least once a month.
Why the disparity?
To begin with, tennis is challenging to learn. Enjoying the game requires a significant skill level, and mastering it takes considerable time. Additionally, tennis is often viewed as an elitist sport. In many countries, playing tennis typically requires membership in a social club, limiting access for many potential players.
Tennis also necessitates a training partner or a rival with similar abilities. When people, especially young ones, go to train, it's often just that—training, not playing.
This can make the sport feel like a chore, leading children to prefer sports like soccer or basketball over tennis because they are easier to learn and because they emphasize team play, which is much more comfortable for some than the pressures of an individual sport. To address these challenges, training systems need to be game-based. This approach makes instruction more functional, allowing players to simultaneously learn the biomechanical, tactical, and mental aspects of the game while enjoying the process. By making tennis more accessible and enjoyable, we can better compete with other sports and grow the base of players.
In clubs with hundreds of children in the initiation program, unfortunately, more than 75% drop out by the time they are 14 years old. Despite years of training, many don’t achieve the proficiency needed to compete because they haven’t accumulated enough hours of practice. Additionally, other sports programs often offer more enjoyment, leading children to prefer having fun playing those sports instead.
In tennis, the technical demands are only part of the challenge. As the years go by, the court seems to grow larger, stretching wider with each match. Shots that were once easily within reach now require a burst of speed that seems elusive. The ball moves faster, its trajectory harder to predict, leaving us struggling to keep up. We turn to doubles, seeking respite and hoping to regain the agility that once made the game effortless. But even in doubles, the ball's speed remains relentless, often blurring past before we can react.
Tennis, with its ever-evolving demands, continuously pushes us to play other sports.
So what is the solution for tennis to grow its playing base?
I have long been advocating to the ITF, which should be the sole body responsible for everything that happens in this sport. However, unlike FIFA, the NFL, or the NBA, tennis is governed by numerous independent institutions, making it difficult to implement vital changes for the sport's survival.
For example, to combat dropout rates, especially among older adults, there should be official tournaments and events allowing them to compete with slower balls, somewhere between the green dot and regular balls. This would enable older players to enjoy longer rallies and continue enjoying the sport. The only thing those adults can gain by continuing to play with those fastballs is getting hit in the head.
In fact, during last week’s pre-US Open Zoom call with the media, USTA President Dr. Brian Hainline spoke about older tennis players—and new players learning the sport—playing on short courts or even pickleball courts with the larger, slower red ball.
“Sadly tennis is not one of the top five youth sports that's being played. We would like to see it really be in the top three, to have our greatest athletes playing the healthiest sport,” Dr. Brian Hainline told the media on the US Open Zoom call. “We need to get the message out to parents. We need to get the message out within the park system to park directors that they have the programs in place to get tennis going…
“I stressed earlier about red ball tennis. Yeah, I made a little joke about pickleball. When you think about red ball tennis, when you actually play it, it's a great game. It's an entry level game for anyone. Someone who is 80 years old, they realize now that they have to do something for their coordination or they're going to fall and maybe fracture their hip. Getting out and playing red ball tennis is ideal.
“We're going to be emphasizing that, it's for all ages, all abilities. That's just consistent with what the USTA is all about, what we are as a Be Open sport.”
One of the great advantages of paddle and pickleball is their accessibility and sociability. These sports are easy to learn and play, making them perfect for people of all skill levels to enjoy from day one.
The courts are smaller and close together, creating a lively, social atmosphere where players can easily interact and participate in the same event. This proximity fosters a strong sense of community, making paddle and pickleball not just sports but social activities that bring people together.
Tennis can do the same.
To ensure the future of our sport, we must heed Novak Djokovic's advice and implement fundamental changes. To encourage growth in tennis, early training for children should be fun and game-based to create a large breading ground and a strong foundation. For older players, using slower balls can help them enjoy the sport longer.
Additionally, paddle and pickleball should be included in the racket sports community. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) should lead the effort to promote and integrate these growing sports alongside tennis.
Imagine hosting the US Open for tennis alongside separate US Opens for paddle and pickleball.
Now that’s innovation!
Next time, we can discuss the necessary changes for the transition from youth to professional levels, as well as the fact that only the Top 100 or so players in the professional ranks are able to make a living from the sport.
“We need to grow the number of players that live from this sport,” Djokovic said. “Very rarely do I see in the media that you guys are writing about the fact that you have only 350 or 400 players, both men, women, singles, doubles, across the board who live from this sport on this planet. That's for me deeply concerning.”
I concur with Novak Djokovic.
I encourage everyone to share their feedback: Can we still save it? And if so, how?
Renowned tennis coach Gabe Jaramillo has coached the sport for decades and is a Tennis Now contributing writer. Please visit Gabe's website at gabejaramillo.com.