This week’s RADL Wire captures pickleball’s accelerating momentum across competition, culture, and community—from SQAIRZ teaming with DUPR to support the sport’s pipeline from high school to the pro ranks, to the PTR/PPR International Racquets Conference returning to Saddlebrook in 2026 as a milestone global gathering. We also spotlight pickleball’s growing role in diplomacy, as youth players from China and the U.S. connect through sport near Washington, D.C., and its arrival in pop culture, with indie mockumentary Pickleheads signaling that America’s fastest-growing sport has officially crossed from courtside phenomenon to mainstream conversation.

Highlights Include:

• SQAIRZ + DUPR

• Marking the 50th anniversary of PTR

• International Pickleball Diplomacy

• Hooray for Hollywood - Pickleball Headed to the Big Screen

INDUSTRY NEWS

SQAIRZ Becomes the Official Partner of the DUPR CollegeTour, Minor League Pickleball Tour, and High School Tour

SQAIRZ, the performance-focused leader in pickleball footwear, today announced a new partnership with DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), becoming an Official Partner of the DUPR College Tour, Minor League Pickleball Tour, and High School Tour.

This collaboration unites two organizations committed to elevating competitive pickleball through performance and data. Together, SQAIRZ and DUPR will support the next generation of players as they progress through organized programs at the junior, college, and professional levels. Learn More

PTR/PPR International Racquets Conference 2026 Returns to Saddlebrook as a Milestone Industry Gathering

The PTR/PPR International Racquets Conference is set to return to Florida in 2026, bringing the global racquet sports community back to the newly renovated Saddlebrook Resort for what organizers are positioning as the industry’s most important annual gathering. Marking the 50th anniversary of the Professional Tennis Registry and Professional Pickleball Registry, the conference will convene tennis, pickleball, padel, and platform tennis professionals for three days of education, networking, and forward-looking dialogue.

The 2026 program features one of the most expansive speaker lineups in the event’s history, headlined by former USTA president Katrina Adams, Grand Slam champion Gigi Fernández, and internationally respected coach educators Mark Tennant and Wayne Elderton, alongside dozens of leading coaches, sport scientists, and industry executives from around the world.

Vasco Expands National Sports Surfacing Platform With Acquisition of Schubert Tennis

The Vasco Group has added Schubert Tennis to its growing national platform, reinforcing its strategy to build a scaled, end-to-end sports surfacing services leader through targeted acquisitions and capability expansion.

Backed by Monogram Capital Partners with support from Halmos Capital Partners, Vasco’s acquisition of Schubert Tennis brings more than three decades of specialized tennis and multi-sport court expertise into the platform. The transaction extends Vasco’s geographic reach into Ohio and surrounding Midwest markets while adding clay court construction and resurfacing capabilities that were previously absent from the portfolio.

Rado Enters the Spotlight as Official Timekeeper of the Nexo Dallas Open

Swiss watchmaker Rado has been named the Official Timekeeper of the Nexo Dallas Open, marking a high-profile debut as the tournament continues its rapid ascent on the global tennis calendar. The 2026 edition, taking place February 7–15, represents the event’s second year as an ATP 500 tournament—solidifying its status among the sport’s premier indoor stops. Now staged at the Ford Center at The Star, the iconic home of the Dallas Cowboys, the Nexo Dallas Open has quickly evolved from a regional event into one of the most distinctive tournaments on tour. As one of only two ATP 500 events in the United States—and the country’s sole indoor hard-court ATP stop

INTERNATIONAL PICKLEBALL

All India Pickleball Association Accelerates Access Across India

Actor and Chennai Super Champs co-owner Samantha Ruth Prabhu has publicly praised the All India Pickleball Association for its sustained efforts to grow pickleball across India, citing the organization’s focus on grassroots development and professional pathways for athletes. Her remarks followed Chennai Super Champs’ runner-up finish at the World Pickleball League 2026 finals, a marquee event supported by AIPA, reinforcing the association’s role in elevating competitive play nationwide. The championship ultimately went to Dilli Dillwale after a narrow 3–2 victory, underscoring the league’s growing competitiveness and the accelerating momentum behind pickleball’s rise in India.

Pickleball Diplomacy - The China-U.S. Youth Pickleball Friendship Tournament

Young athletes from China and the United States came together near Washington, D.C., for the China-U.S. Youth Pickleball Friendship tournament, highlighting pickleball’s growing role as a tool for cultural exchange. Organized in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools, the event is part of the district’s ongoing “Pickleball Diplomacy” initiative, which uses sport to foster friendship and mutual understanding among students. Building on exchanges with Shanghai and Shenzhen in 2025, the program will continue in 2026 during China’s Lunar New Year and Spring Festival—underscoring how pickleball is helping bridge cultures, strengthen people-to-people ties, and connect the next generation one rally at a time.

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD

Pickleball Headed to the Big Screen

Pickleball’s cultural takeover has officially reached Hollywood. Pickleheads, a new indie mockumentary making the festival rounds, skewers America’s fastest-growing sport with equal parts affection and absurdity. Premiering at the Austin Film Festival and set for a Los Angeles showcase on March 1, the film follows a disgraced ping-pong star lured back into relevance by a documentary crew chasing his unlikely redemption arc—this time via pickleball. Along the way, he tangles with nudist opponents, territorial court power brokers, neighborhood protestors, and fed-up tennis players, all against the backdrop of Austin’s pickleball-obsessed scene. As major studios eye the sport’s mainstream moment, Pickleheads signals that pickleball has officially crossed from courtside craze to pop-culture punchline—and RADL Wire will be watching where it lands next. Let us know what you think of the trailer here.