According to the company, the sports club Suzhou Shishan opened the first pickleball court of the Chinese city in January 2024.
Suzhou Shishan
Beijing -While the US pickleball -madness is still strong, China is only just starting.
The online turnover of pickleball paddles and related devices in China this year has increased $ 1.2 million in monthly sales in July-an increase in more than six times compared to previous years.
This corresponds to data from WPIC Marketing + Technologies. The company helps foreign brands, such as the ohio-based food mixer Vitamix and the brand of skin care from California Clinically from California to sell-in China and other parts of Asia online.
“The rise of pickleball in China reflects a broader shift into active lifestyles and recreational sports participation,” said Jacob Cooke, co -founder and CEO of WPIC.
The racket sport has received a buoyancy of social media influencers and the resuscitation of tennis in China, which partly won the country of Tennis in Tennis Singles last summer to win Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen.
The interest in tennis and pickleball in China began in 2023, was accelerated in 2024 and is “still very good this year,” said Daniel Zipser, senior partner at McKinsey and head of the Asia Consumer and Retail Division. “We are still in the very strong acceleration growth dynamics [period] Wider for racket sports. “
He pointed out that the locals not only increasingly take on sport, but also observe professional games more.
During the first “Hong Kong Open” competition of the US Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) from August 21 to August 24, there was actually a pretty large amount that came out [to watch the] Last gold medal games, “said Patrick Yan, founder of the Sole Agency, who represents Asian pickleball players.” The entire tournament was maximized and with a waiting list. “
Yan also found that the Hong Kong region now has many more pickle balls than just two when it visited in December and January.
The Hong Kong Open was part of the first PPA tour Asia, which includes games in Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Jack Wong from Hong Kong won the men's singles championship while Roos van Reek from the Netherlands won singles. The PPA did not immediately respond to an inquiry whether a “China Slam”, which was initially stopped for early October, progresses as planned.
The PPA organized its first US pickleball tournament in Arizona in early 2020. Sport became more and more popular during the pandemic when the municipalities quickly converted public spaces into free pickle balls. Since then, Pickleball has been the fastest growing sport in the United States in four years.
Business angle
The recent growth of pickleball in China has different business effects.
In contrast to US suburbs, large Asian cities have no large neighborhood rooms, Yan emphasized. “All of these courts must be built up by people who have companies.
He added that the local pickleball tournament system is operated by the National Chinese Tennis Association, which means that the development of sport “compared to other countries in which local organizations have to organize and finance everything”.
Lu Bing, deputy head of the Suzhou Pickleball Association, said he had learned from an American friend of Pickleball in 2023. The local Shishan Sports Club then has that he opened General Manager of several pickleball games, where hourly fees begin at 60 Yuan (8.39 US dollars). He added that many local schools also encourage students to play sport by surrounding basketball spots and other facilities, he said.
Part of the attraction of pickleball in China is how easy it is for locals to learn sport – some people still found tennis too hard after a few lessons in the Sports Club, he added.
Challenges and opportunities
While LU said the club was an authorized sales partner for Joola, a US pickle ball mark, it is less clear how simply other foreign brands and organizations can use the trend.
Despite China's great potential compared to Vietnam and Malaysia, the largest pickle ball markets of Asia, it can be difficult for foreign companies to navigate on the market of the Asian giant market due to language barriers and the unique ecosystem of the Wechat messaging app, Yan said.
“I know that some dishes will probably go out of business and survive some and take over the market in certain areas,” he said. “Because it is on the market so early, many people basically try the first mover.”
The increase in consumer expenditure for pickleball and other sports in China has been carried out since pandemic.
McKinsey's Zipser said that he was “very confident” about consumption in the second half of this year in 2026, since he believes that consumer expenses are now being replaced by depressive feelings.
“In the past two years, the consumer has only waited for the good old days back,” he said, pointing out the hope of recreation on the real estate market and a broad double -digit growth.
“People have now recognized [that’s] It won't happen, “he said.” They moved on. They no longer sit there. … life has to go on. “