Novak Djokovic’s proposal: A unified tournament for tennis, padel, and pickleball

Novak Djokovic, returning to the Miami Open after six years, expressed interest in creating a “mixed tournament between all racket sports,” inspired by the rising popularity of padel and pickleball.

In recent years, padel and pickleball have become the fastest-growing racket sports, drawing in enthusiasts worldwide, according to Ubi Tennis. At the Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Open is currently taking place, several padel courts have been set up, reflecting the sport’s increasing presence.

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Acknowledging this surge, the Serbian star shared his thoughts: “I believe the future, at least at the recreational tennis club level, will be racket clubs, to be honest. The rising popularity of pickleball in this country, and more globally, padel, is immense. Padel, for example, is a fantastic sport for amateur players who may have never held a racket before. It’s definitely easier to pick up padel than tennis. Plus, it’s fun, social, and engaging.”

Djokovic even proposed organising an interdisciplinary tournament: “It could be fun to set up a small competition across racket sports — a mixed racket sports competition,” the former World No. 1 added. “We could all try different sports and see how we fare. Studies have shown that playing racket sports helps people live longer, so engaging in a racket sport is definitely a good thing.”

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Despite the current boom, Djokovic believes both padel and pickleball still have room to grow: “Padel is a relatively new sport globally, much like pickleball, so it’ll be interesting to see their rise. Professionally, we’ll see if people become interested in watching tournaments. But padel, in particular, has grown rapidly. Tournaments have even been played at Roland Garros, on the iconic Philippe Chatrier Court — I saw it myself. So, the interest is definitely there.”

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