What the Pickleball World Rankings DUPR India League, launched by Andre Agassi and Rohan Bopanna in Mumbai, is about Firstpost

Eight-time Grand Slam champion and former ATP world champion Andre Agassi and Indian tennis icon Rohan Bopanna helped launch the Pickleball World Rankings (PWR) DUPR India League on Friday by playing a friendly game of pickleball at an event in Mumbai. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya and South African cricket legend Jonty Rhodes were also present at the launch of the event in Mumbai.

The fast racket sport pickleball originated in the United States in 1965 and has similarities with tennis, table tennis and badminton. Pickleball has gained popularity worldwide in recent years, with the US witnessing a 223 percent participation boom over the past three years and NBA stars like LeBron James recently acquiring stakes in Major League Pickleball franchises.

It has also been making steady progress in the cricket-mad nation of India since the turn of the century, with Mumbai recently hosting the Indian leg of the World Pickleball Championships in November, with around 650 players from seven countries arriving in the 'Maximum City' for the same.

Also read | Pickleball is poised to become one of the most prominent sports in India,” says AIPA President

Launched at a ceremony in Dubai in July this year, Pickleball World Rankings is a joint venture between Pickleball League Asia and The Times Group with support from the Indian Pickleball Association, the Asian Pickleball Association and the Global Pickleball Federation. That was followed by the PWR DUPR India Masters in Delhi from October 24 to 27, which had attracted top talent from both India and abroad and helped showcase the country's potential in the sport.

The recently launched PWR DUPR India League, expected to take place in Mumbai in early 2025, is expected to further boost pickleball's growth in a country where even football, the world's most popular sport, is struggling to compete with cricket.

I've been playing a lot of pickleball over the past two years. It was a great outlet for me and my wife, fantastic exercise. Those of you watching it from a distance may think it's all over. Maybe the old people played it – but I think I'm a bit old – but I promise you that you can challenge yourself at whatever level you throw yourself into it,” Agassi, a four-time Australian Open champion who also won twice the US Open, said at the event in Mumbai.

“I am proud to be here on behalf of DUPR. It is the most accurate rating system in the sport, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity and platform to hopefully grow this sport globally. We have about 30 million people in America playing it now, and I promise you it's still in its infancy.

I believe in sport from the top down, but I believe in it mainly from a participation point of view, what it brings to people's individual lives, what it brings to communities, what it brings to bringing people together, and that's where it life is all about.' I'd say, you know, give Pickleball a try, because that's all you have to do is try it a few times, and it'll be a part of your life,” the 54-year-old added.

Also read | India joins the global pickleball and padel boom as sports outpace tennis growth

Bopanna, a Grand Slam winner in men's doubles (Australian Open 2024) and mixed doubles (French Open 2017), thanked Agassi for supporting the “great sport” and helping spread its popularity in India.

It is really nice to participate in an event where India is picking up a new sport today. It's trending, it's a vibe. It's nice to have you here, Andre, and to teach and support a great sport like pickleball here in India. And I've also seen you play a lot and it's nice to have you here too. It's nice when athletes come together to support other sports and I guess I congratulate and good luck with this competition,” Bopanna said at the event.