Advantage, China

Pickleball's rapid rise in China is often discussed in terms of scale — participation growth, tournament expansion, institutional backing — but in Beijing last week, those discussions were put into practice across a two-day program co-hosted by the National Tennis Center and Peking University.

The Beijing stop of the 2026 Joola Pickleball Titans Tour brought together the likes of tennis legends Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf with pickleball world No 1 Ben Johns.

Rather than functioning as a conventional tournament, the event combined exhibition matches, interactive formats and campus engagement, reflecting a broader attempt to situate pickleball between professional sport and mass participation.

On court, the competition format departed from standard structures. A "task card" system imposed constraints that required players to adjust tactics in real time. In one sequence, Agassi was restricted to hitting lobs, repeatedly extending rallies under pressure instead of finishing points.

In another, Graf's team was unable to use smashes, shifting the emphasis toward placement, control and net play.

These variations highlighted technical layers — rhythm management, spatial awareness and touch — that are central to pickleball, but are not always immediately visible to new audiences.

Cross-sport participation further illustrated the sport's accessibility. Chinese tennis player Wang Qiang, who partnered with volleyball player Yang Jiaxing, offered a straightforward assessment after her appearance: "It was very fun, very enjoyable and easy to pick up."

That low barrier to entry was also evident in the event's interactive segments. In a one-point challenge, spectators faced professional players in single rallies.

One amateur's extended exchange against eight-time Grand Slam winner Agassi — retrieving several near-unreachable shots and keeping the rally alive — drew the strongest reaction of the night, before ending with an error from the American, a moment that highlighted how the sport can narrow the perceived gap between elite and amateur sportspeople.

For Agassi, who has increasingly positioned himself as a global advocate for pickleball, that accessibility is fundamental to its appeal.

"What got us into it was us playing together as a family," he said."Everybody was enjoying it. We loved that."

What began as a recreational activity, he explained, quickly evolved into something more demanding.

"What kept us motivated was the fact that some things translated very easily for us, and other things were very challenging. And we had to unlearn many things from tennis."

That combination of familiarity and difficulty continues to define his experience of the sport.

"So, there was a physical outlet, there was a mental challenge and there was a nuance to it that made us feel, every day from the first day, that we can get better," he said. "And we haven't stopped feeling that way."

He also emphasized the importance of participation as a central growth driver.

"I wanted to double down on the participation side of pickleball, because it's still in its infancy," Agassi said.

"I want to contribute to helping it grow, because I think it adds so much to people's lives, their physical and mental health, as a communal outlet."

Within that framework, he identified China as a particularly strong environment for the sport's expansion.

"All the ingredients are right for this part of the world," he said.

"You've got space, you've got land, you've got weather and you've got facilities.

"You have a population where, if you can get the paddle into young children's hands, you're gonna start seeing a lot of them break through on a world stage."

His assessment aligns with figures from the Chinese Tennis Association, which show the number of pickleball tournaments in China increasing from around 80 in 2024 to more than 600 this year.

Johns pointed to a similar balance between accessibility and competitiveness.

"I feel like pickleball is something that we both seem very enthusiastic about. And one of the reasons I love pickleball is that it has something for everyone in every country, and everyone seems to enjoy it," he said. He also noted that, while many current top players come from tennis or table tennis backgrounds, that may not remain the case.

"I don't think it's fully necessary if you are learning pickleball from a young age," he said, suggesting that early specialization could reshape the sport's development pathway.

The second part of the Beijing program shifted to Peking University, where the focus moved from visibility to longer-term integration.

A cooperation with Joola centers on course development, student clubs and campus competitions, supported by the CTA.

Training sessions led by professional players introduced students to core techniques, allowing them to move quickly from observation to participation. The presence of Olympic tennis champion Li Ting added a degree of continuity with China's established racket sports system.

Across both venues, the structure of the program reflected a layered approach: using exhibition play to generate visibility, interactive formats to lower participation barriers and institutional partnerships to support longer-term development.

That momentum is already visible on campus. Liu Maohui, deputy director of the Department of Physical Education at Peking University, said the sport has developed rapidly within the university, with courses proving especially popular among students due to their accessibility and social nature.

"Some students have told me they want to learn pickleball because they are going to the United States for exchange programs, and it helps them integrate into local life," he said.

As pickleball continues to expand in China, that combination — rather than any single event — may prove more indicative of how the sport establishes itself in a new market.