Pickleball – a form of paddle tennis played on a downsized court – is the fastest-growing sport in the US.
Already well-established with older Americans, the game is now attracting people of all ages around the world, including former tennis stars.
Wellington competitive pickleball player Jai Grewal Photo: Supplied
Pickleball is more accessible than tennis and a great sport for people of all ages and levels to play together, says Jai Grewal, a Wellington sales manager and aspiring pro pickleball player.
"The reason why it's growing so fast is it's so easy to pick up and play. I could be out there with you for 20 or 30 minutes and I'm sure you'll pick it up right away," he tells Kim Hill.
Pickleball is played on a court the same size as a badminton court (roughly a quarter of the size of a tennis court).
This can be easily set it up on an existing tennis court, Jai says. and many older players are trading their rackets for paddles.
"When you get older in a sport like tennis, it can be tough to stay competitive and still go out there and play but with pickleball, you get that competitiveness back.
"There are a lot of people making the switch and there'll definitely be more in the future."
Although people may still think of it as "an old person's sport", it's a fun sport for anyone, Jai says.
The rules are quite simple – players' feet are not allowed in the 'non-volley zone' beyond the 'kitchen line' – a line 7 feet away from the net on both sides, serving is underhand and the first team to get 11 points wins.
"Those equalisers make it easy for different levels of payers to play with each other."
Jai, who works as an account manager for a Wellington ticketing company, was living in the States when he first picked up pickleball and since then he's played competitively around the world.
In a few weeks, he'll return to the US to have a go at the professional pickleball circuit.
"I love to compete and I love to be out there. I'll definitely give it a crack and I'm pretty excited about the journey."
Watch some amateur Kiwi pickleball players in action:
