If there is one piece of equipment that has generated evolution and innovation over the years, constantly inspiring the world of sport, it is the racket. The racket enters the courts of tennis, padel, pickleball, badminton and squash, but it is also the protagonist of table tennis.

87 MILLION FANS OF TENNIS AND OTHER RACQUET SPORTS

The passion for racket sports manifests itself in many exciting forms. The title of most popular sport undoubtedly goes to tennis, which was born in Birmingham in the UK in 1859, and is now played worldwide by 87 million people. It is precisely these tennis enthusiasts who increasingly also try other racquet sports, some of which are less physically demanding but equally addictive.

PADEL AND PICKLEBALL, TRANSVERSAL AND INCLUSIVE SPORTS

The transversality of padel, but also of pickleball, depends largely on the ability of these sports to be approachable and inclusive, as demonstrated by tournaments such as the Five Padel Cup in Monte-Carlo, organised by the Bsg, open to many former football champions who like to measure themselves in this sport, but also to athletes in wheelchairs.

In April 2024, the five tournaments were held within Padel Best Expo, at the Grimaldi Forum, where a pickleball court was also set up for mini-tournaments open to all the visitors and for exhibitions.

PADEL BEST EXPO 2025: FOCUS ON RACKET SPORTS

Padel Best Expo at its first edition presented pickleball and table tennis alongside padel. But the organisers’ intention for the 2025 edition, that will be in Monte-Carlo from 25 to 27 April, is to expand in a conceptual sense by creating focuses on other racket sports as well.

The goal, which cannot be renounced, is to involve the public by spreading more direct knowledge of games such as badminton and squash, for example.

THE SUCCESS OF PADEL IN THE WORLD

If we think of the most popular racket sports in the world, we can certainly say that padel attracts a lot of players, among them very frequently champions of other sports. It is fun, it is played in pairs, and it is certainly easier than tennis. These are probably the reasons why it has attracted over 25 million players worldwide, with a particular incidence in Europe and South America. Spain and Argentina are the nations with the largest number of padel players, with 3.7 million and 2.1 million respectively. Sweden and Italy have grown significantly to occupy 3rd and 4th place respectively with 563,000 and 521,000 players*.

PICKLEBALL IS POPULAR IN THE STATES AND SEDUCES EUROPEANS

Pickleball is a sporting discipline that has spread like wildfire in the United States with 6 million fans including many young people, school students, but also a significant proportion of older people. Pickleball is relatively new in Europe, where it has 13,000 players, having been introduced in recent years. Of the participants registered in the major tournaments played in Europe, only 2 or 3 are on a par with American professional tournaments. In Italy, there are 5,000 enthusiasts playing, with around 300 competitive athletes. Pickleball in Italy was regulated in 2018 with the founding of the AIP, Associazione Italiana Pickleball, in Tocco di Casauria, in the province of Pescara, the birthplace of its founder and president, Zelindo Di Giulio. Self-taught, Di Giulio was the first, along with his teammate, to represent Italy at a world championship. The Italian Pickleball Association is a member of the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP).