The first ever U.S. Open Pickleball Championships will be played April 26 - May 1st in Naples Florida. This tournament will be huge, having the most courts for a single tournament with 48. It will also have the most players and spectators. This tournament has more players registered than any other tournament in the history of the sport - 800 registered players with 5 weeks remaining to add even more.
Apparently, negotiations are being finalized to televise the the Pro Doubles finals within 30 days after the actual event. With over 50 million subscribers to CBS Sports, pickleball will be introduced to millions of people that will potentially become new players.
Stay tuned for updates.
I'm thrilled not just by Pickleball's growth but by events of the caliber of an US Open sanctioned tournament.
ReplyDeleteIf it reaches anything like the status of the U.S. Open tennis championship, well then the future looks bright, very bright.
That's great news because it'll attract the best possible young competitive players and raise the level of the sport to new heights. Exciting indeed!