Pickleball: Pickleball is an unusual American sport with an even more unusual name had quietly reached India. A handful of fitness enthusiasts tried it, some NRIs introduced it to their friends, and curious tennis players experimented with it as a lighter alternative. Within a short span, the sport morphed into a full-blown urban trend, sweeping Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Even global tennis icon Novak Djokovic recently warned that recreational tennis is losing ground to sports like padel and pickleball, saying that clubs worldwide may soon “convert tennis courts into padel or pickleball courts” if the sport doesn’t evolve.
A Pandemic Discovery That Sparked Movement
Like many Indians searching for new rhythms during the pandemic, the author recalls discovering pickleball in Khandala. An unused badminton court on the property became a makeshift pickleball arena, and within minutes of playing, the appeal was clear, a sport that offered movement without exhaustion and skill without intimidation.
What seemed like a fun lockdown distraction felt more like uncovering a hidden athletic gem and the quirky backstory only added to its charm: pickleball was reportedly named after the inventor’s dog, Pickles.
Pickleball may have tiptoed into India, but padel arrived with the swagger of a Spanish superstar. Glass-walled courts emerged almost overnight across luxury complexes and corporate parks. Soon, celebrities and high-profile personalities, from Akash and Shloka Ambani to Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, were spotted playing, sparking the sport’s meteoric rise among urban elites.
Real estate developers now market padel courts alongside swimming pools and clubhouses. Brokers casually pitch apartments with lines like: “Sea view, Italian marble, and yes, a padel court.”
Why Urban India Fell In Love With The Sport
Both sports slot neatly into the rhythm of Indian metropolitan life. Pickleball requires roughly one-third the space of a tennis court, fits easily into terraces or existing badminton courts, and can be installed everywhere from gated communities to corporate campuses. Padel, while more infrastructure-heavy, has quickly become the definitive premium amenity.
But the real force behind their popularity is the shared experience they create-
Demographics exploded: Millennials, executives, parents, retirees, weekend fitness buffs.
Wellness trends blended seamlessly: Protein snacks, magnesium supplements, collagen gummies and electrolyte-infused coconut water now populate court-side benches.
Fashion transformed the aesthetic: Alo, Lululemon and Oysho dominate the courts, where coordinated athleisure often resembles a runway more than a sports venue.
Inevitable Citywide Obsession And Its Quirks
Despite being designed for moderate movement, pickleball and padel have introduced many to new aches and injuries. Orthopaedic doctors jokingly call pickleball their “fastest-growing revenue stream,” thanks to middle-aged players rediscovering long-forgotten muscles.
Corporate professionals have embraced the courts as their new battlegrounds. One banker quipped: “You may beat me in mid-caps, but try returning my backhand.”
Even dating apps have joined the trend, hosting mixed-doubles evenings for singles. For many young adults, the court has become a place to find someone whose fitness enthusiasm and backhand style aligns with their own.
Where Social Hierarchies Flatten Out
One of the sport’s most charming features is how it levels social barriers. On any given morning, a billionaire industrialist might pair with a young founder, while a Bollywood star might find themselves outplayed by a retired couple who have mastered the art of consistent rallying.
Bengaluru has added its own twist- coders discussing AI between points and investors evaluating pitch decks while stretching courtside. Gurgaon, unsurprisingly, has transformed padel courts into the latest symbol of premium living.
More Than A Trend
Beneath the glamour lies a deeper reason for the sport’s success: it brings people together. In an age of digital fatigue, pickleball and padel offer human connection, laughter over close line calls, shared victories, moments of banter, and friendships built around a simple game.
A businessman who played four matches before sealing a major deal said the sport was his stress relief. A Delhi socialite insists that reaching the padel court at 7 a.m., even after a late night out, is now “a standard of discipline.”
One young actor’s team even schedules her shoots around weekend matches because she’s reportedly “unmanageable without her dose of P or P” ‘pickleball’ or ‘padel’.
