European No.1 Louis Laville predicts that pickleball will have “absolutely exploded” in the UK in five years’ time with “just about every rackets clubs” embracing the sport.
The No.1 ranked European player will defend his English Nationals singles title at Bolton Arena later this month, and took time out from his busy competitive and coaching schedule to give Pickleball 52 his views on the state of the game in the UK.
With record entries for the recent English Open and the upcoming Nationals, signs are positive that pickleball is gaining traction across the country.
Laville said: “In five years the game is going to have absolutely exploded. I think every David Lloyd and every club will have some pickleball.
“It will be a household name sport and I think there will be some kind of European or UK professional tour where the best can play.”
Pickleball is, of course, not the only new racket sport on the rise, with padel’s growth matching it in terms of mainstream coverage, industry investment and grassroots participation.
“I think pickleball is sport that will compete in terms of numbers with tennis, squash, padel and be hugely popular,” said Laville.
The London-based star says one of pickleball’s many advantages of sports like tennis and squash is its accessibility. “It has a slightly shrunk-down court, a slightly smaller paddle and a slightly slower ball that doesn’t bounce everywhere,” he says.
“This shrinks the level between a really top guy and a new player. For example, you can have someone who’s a professional player on the same court as somebody who plays socially, and they can still have a fairly competitive game.” This contrasts with squash and tennis where, with the same skill disparity “you could sometimes not even be able to get a rally together.”
Laville coaches pickleball at the prestigious Roehampton Club in London where in a recent coaching session he had “ladies in their 30s to nearly 80s.” He added: “It’s great to see the accessibility. It’s a sport anybody can play – not only that but it you can actually be competitive between different demographics and really social as well.”
Pickleball’s crazy growth in the USA eclipses its more gradual expansion this side of the Atlantic. Laville is excited by assertions Stateside that pickleball was “played by more people than golf and tennis combined” and that “in five to 10 years, it could be the most played sport on the planet behind football and cricket.”
Before the hyperbole gets too out of control, he is focusing – for now – on his own playing and coaching career. His WhatsApp group for his coaching session at Roehampton has nearly 100 players in it and he regularly receives requests from individuals wanting to be added.
“It’s really becoming something of a snowball effect now,” he states. “I’m seeing the numbers of people playing increasing dramatically.”
We wish Louis the best of luck at the forthcoming English Nationals in Bolton!
