While there may seem to be a growing divide between old-school tennis enthusiasts, upstart pickleball fanatics, and die-hard padel junkies here in the U.S., two visionaries will be bringing all of them (and more) together under one roof next March 24 – 26 in Miami for the world’s first-ever “all-racket-sports” extravaganza.
The landmark event — dubbed RacquetX — will encourage ideas and collaboration between thought leaders and industry professionals in tennis, pickleball, padel, and beyond. This unique, all-in-one conference is the brainchild of events guru Robyn Duda and entrepreneur Marco Giberti, who are looking to explore and expand the meteoric growth of racket sports like tennis, pickleball, and padel since the pandemic.
Endless Racket Sports, One Can’t Miss Event
As well as the three headline sports, RacquetX will also welcome professionals and enthusiasts of many other racket sports, including squash, badminton, and table tennis. The event organizers are quick to point out that before now, there was no place for industry professionals across all these sports to exchange ideas and try new products and technologies.
RacquetX co-founder Robyn Duda says, “Racket sports is truly one of the most exciting sectors out there right now, and this is the place to take advantage of that, whether you’re a seasoned industry professional, an investor, a club owner or parks and recreation planner or even just a fan – there will be incredible experiences for everyone at RacquetX.”
Not surprisingly, former US Padel Association (USPA) president and co-founder of the new North American Pro Padel League (PPL), Marcos del Pilar, will be representing the world’s fastest growing sport.
And given the nature of the gathering, it’s also no surprise that it’s being held during The Miami Open and those attending the conference will also have the chance to watch some of the top tennis players in the world compete in a stunning venue.
1 + 1 + 1 = Even More Growth for All 3?
While many attendees will no doubt arrive focused on a single sport, there may well be even more who come looking to figure out how to best capitalize on the growing synergies they are seeing between all of these booming games.
Take Joe Gross, a partner at Padel Lux, for example. While his company is seeking to revolutionize the existing padel-court building process and provide clients with a level of service unmatched in the industry, he also understands the value of “feeder sports” like pickleball and tennis.
Gross notes, “The level of awareness around padel is still fairly low in the U.S. — but it’s growing rapidly. Maybe someone has a friend who has played and loved it… or they’ve seen it on YouTube. But they don’t really know much about the sport beyond that. The key is to get that person out on an actual padel court, because once they play they’ll be hooked.
You never know what someone’s background is. Maybe they play squash or tennis or pickleball — or all three. So, why not take advantage of the opportunity to introduce them to the padel through one of those sports?
If you put padel courts next to tennis or pickleball courts, people playing those games are going to inevitably see it and want to try it. And once they do, you can bet they’ll come back again and again.”
Another such person is Neil Thomson, co-founder of Short Court, an upscale apparel, equipment, and events company now intently focused on delivering its retro-cool offerings to players of all racket sports, despite initially focusing solely on the pickleball market.
Thomson says, “We service and outfit pickle, padel, squash, tennis, and more — all for the elevated club and resort member. We are US-based, yet global in our story of wellness, social engagement, and competitive on-court experiences. We are fired up to engage with like-minded visionaries at RacquetX next March in Miami.”
With an event of this caliber and importance being held in an Instagram-worthy destination like Miami, you can bet Thomson is far from the only one who is fired up about RacquetX and already making their travel arrangements.
