More than 3,000 players are competing at East Naples Community Park for the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, and fans have come from around the globe to watch.
This isn’t just a tournament—organizers call it “the biggest pickleball party in the world.”
"It's like Armenia to Zimbabwe, A to Z. We have Chechnya, Uruguay, Argentina. It's just an incredible, literally all the way around the globe," said U.S. Open Tournament Director Ben Weinberger.
This championship has come a long way since its debut in 2016, when just 800 players and 2,000 fans showed up.
“From its very humble beginnings, we are now an unbelievable biggest pickleball party in the world. 3500 athletes. It's come a long way from what they all got going,” Weinberger said.
Now in 2024, athletes from all 50 states and more than 40 countries are on the court. And it’s not just the number of players that makes this tournament special—it’s who’s playing.
“So we have a seven-year-old and an 87-year-old. We actually have two 87-year-olds competing as a part of a team. We have wheelchair [players]. So in the wheelchair, they play singles, doubles and hybrid. We have one standing player and one sitting player. Very unique event. We have an event called Split Edge Pro. We have one pro over 51, and one pro under 50,” he said.
Organizers expect a record-breaking 60,000 spectators this week, and there’s more than $165,000 in prize money on the line for pro and triple crown winners.
Some fans—like Irene and Michael Kozlowski—say they came to learn a few tricks.
"Well, we just got the pickleball bug, and we just wanted to come down and see some really good play. So we can improve our game, maybe get some pointers,” said Irene.
“Just watching the firefights and just the really good shots. The incredible shots that they make. Backhand shots. It's some of these players are like acrobats; it's amazing,” added Michael.
The U.S. Open of Pickleball runs through Saturday, when the champions will be crowned.
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