Racket sports are courting culture.
What’s happening: typti, a new racket sport developed by Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy and the NFL’s Drew Brees, is pitching itself as a pickleball alternative — landing backing from tennis star Nick Kyrgios, Tony Robbins, and others.
First serve. Using a custom strung racket and foam ball, the new game allows for longer rallies, quieter gameplay, and tennis-leaning skillset. Played on pickleball courts, it’s co-opting existing infrastructure to scale.
Rallying. typti intensifies America’s racket sports arms race, with incumbents pickleball, padel, and tennis vying to champion social recreation — but momentum is shifting.
Despite growing 311% in recent years, US pickleball participation is slowing as European-born padel accelerates, counting a 51% YoY rise in US clubs.
Grandest slam. Influencing sport, community, and fashion, big names are buying in, with Nike signing no.1 pickleballer Anna Leigh Waters and On inking padel’s top competitor Arturo Coello.
Despite the rivalry, the two sports are diverging, with pickleball garnering mainstream appeal and padel taking premium positioning in the States — with clubs like Reserve, Ultra, and Kith Ivy, serving up exclusivity and luxury amenities.
Looking ahead: Americans are getting a new racket sport before pickleball even peaked. But, with infrastructure on its side, allying with—not fighting—typti could help pickleball keep its cool.
