Pickleball has quickly become a worldwide sensation. The racquet sport has gained popularity for its less complicated gameplay and its easy access has also made the sport most sought-after in recent years. The Times Group launched Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), the PWR World Series and the PWR World Tour in association with Pickleball League Asia Private Limited on Wednesday at a grand event in Dubai on Wednesday. PWR will improve sports governance and future longevity by uniting regional groups under a single, cohesive structure.
The announcement was made by PWR at the event attended by Vineet Jain, Managing Director of The Times Group, Pranav Kohli, CEO & Founder of PWR, the world’s top Pickleball players, including women’s world number 1 on APP Tour Megan Fudge DeHeart, and other prominent personalities from international Pickleball community.
The Times Group MD said he is hopeful that Pickleball will be able to overtake the popularity of tennis in the near future.
“The Times Group is proud to be an anchor investor in PWR, a path breaking initiative that unifies the global pickleball community. Times Group is known for its innovation and its ability to be ahead of the curve in every one of its initiatives,” Mr Jain said.
He further added, “We are happy that PWR is bringing the PWR Rankings, PWR tour and PWR World Series, and we really hope that this further accelerates growth of Pickleball globally. I personally believe that Pickleball will overtake Tennis in terms of participation in the near future. PWR is a platform that will empower players from every corner of the globe to compete, excel, and showcase their talents on an international stage.”
The inaugural PWR World Series will take place in March 2025 and a whopping prize money of USD $1.5 Million has been allocated for the competition.
“We will be offering USD $15 Million in prize money for the PWR World Tour and USD $1.5 Million for the GCC stop in PWR World Series. This is the highest prize money ever offered in the sport! It is my hope that existing stars and the champions of the future from the United States and all around the world can rise through the rankings and reach their full potential, all in front of millions of followers globally,” Kohli said.
Pickleball is already a worldwide sensation, enjoyed by celebrity fans such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Taylor Swift. It is the fastest-growing sport in the USA and is now on its way to becoming the fastest-growing sport in the world.
Pickleball World Rankings: PWR is a unified global ranking system and it will enable players to follow a predetermined route to accumulate points which will reflect in their rankings. It will help players to qualify for the PWR World Series through the PWR World tour across the world. Different tiers of PWR events – PWR100, PWR 200, PWR 400, PWR700, PWR1000 and PWR2000 – are similar to ATP and WTA tournaments in tennis.
PWR World Series: In line with tennis grand slams, PWR World Series will comprise six major tournaments to start the proceedings, including one in the GCC region. In the first year, The PWR World Series will consist of 64 players in the individual format and six teams of four players each, from the US and the rest of the world.
PWR World Tour: Players will compete on these tours across the globe in order to amass PWR points and get into the PWR World Series. The PWR China Collegiate Pickleball Tour and the PWR CPA Pro Tour are two such currently.
