“They’re gonna convert all the tennis clubs into paddle or pickleball,” Novak Djokovic extremely worried for future of tennis as he calls for strengthening of club-level tennis

Djokovic believes tennis needs to do better to increase visibility, like Formula 1 has done in recent years.

“They’re gonna convert all the tennis clubs into paddle or pickleball,” Novak Djokovic extremely worried for future of tennis as he calls for strengthening of club-level tennis

Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic has sent a warning to the stakeholders of tennis with his concerns about the declining popularity of the sport. He emphasized the need for more investment at club level and also raised concerns about the shift in interest to other paddle sports.

Djokovic flagged the rise of pickleball as a threat to tennis. He said that pickleball was economically viable for club owners and hence the sport was getting preference even at lower levels. He also touched upon the issues surrounding the marketing of tennis.

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Djokovic believes that sports like Formula 1 have managed to market themselves better. This can be seen in the way Netflix’s shows on the two sports have performed. Break Point, a documentary on tennis, could not achieve the same success as Drive to Survive for F1, a show on Formula 1.

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In terms of innovation in our sport, other than Slams, we have to figure out how to attract a young audience. Tennis on one hand is in a good place, but when we look at Formula 1 for example and what they’ve done in terms of marketing, in terms of growth of the sport, in terms of the races around the world and how popular they are. I think we need to do a better job on our respective tours.
Novak Djokovic said about the need for more marketing in tennis.

The Serbian is currently in action at Wimbledon, where he has reached the fourth round following wins against Vit Kopriva, Jacob Fearnley, and Alexei Popyrin.

Novak Djokovic suggests ways to improve tennis’ popularity

Novak Djokovic also spoke about the issues plaguing the sport. He pointed out that despite tennis being a global sport, the number of players making a career out of it was limited. He opined that the tennis at club level is endangered, especially due to the demand for other paddle sports.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

Djokovic also raised the issue of affordability at the base level and said that the sport was not very welcoming to club-level players. 

Tennis is the king or queen of all racquet sports.’ That’s true. But on a club level, tennis is endangered. If we don’t do something about it, globally or collectively, paddle, pickleball in the states, they’re gonna convert all the tennis clubs into paddle and pickleball. Because it’s more economical.
Novak Djokovic said in a press conference at Wimbledon

The popularity of pickleball has been on the rise especially in the United States of America, with legends of tennis like Andre Agassi, Steffi Graff, John McEnroe, and Maria Sharapova spotted playing it. Nick Kyrgios and other current players have also shown interest in pickleball.

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