I always thought the pickleball craze would slow down after the pandemic. But here we are, four years later in 2026, and pickleball is as popular as ever.
Almost every week, I see another celebrity joining the craze. The most recent one is Heaven Paralejo. She only learned how to play pickleball a few weeks ago, and now she’s already organizing a pickleball tournament. Miss Universe Catriona Gray also visited Cebu a few months ago to promote a local pickleball hub near SM Seaside.
Photo by Heaven Paralejo (@heavenperalejo) On Instagram
Almost every week, a new pickleball court opens here in the city. Major companies like Ayala and SM are actively supporting the sport by providing mall spaces for courts, sometimes even for free, like the one at SM Seaside.
DUPR reported a 12-fold growth in pickleball participation over the last 12 months in the Philippines. It seems surreal, but I won’t dispute it. You know why? Because I have plenty of table tennis friends who have jumped on the pickleball bandwagon. Fortunately, most of them haven’t completely abandoned table tennis. I still see them visiting our club, although I can’t deny that some have significantly reduced their playing time. Some table tennis influencers in the Philippines have also switched to pickleball. Even Misal posted on Facebook about the decline in table tennis tournaments in the country.
At this point, there’s no denying that pickleball has become more popular than table tennis in the Philippines. Another way to illustrate this is by comparing the prize pools of the two sports. Pickleball tournaments in the Philippines now offer prize pools close to and at times worth millions of pesos, like this particular tournament, while table tennis tournaments typically offer prizes in the hundreds of thousands.
As someone who has been loyal to the sport of table tennis, I won’t deny that these developments disappoint me. Having said that, I’m not worried about the future of the sport. I’ve always believed that table tennis is a unique racket sport because of its incredible spin variations and the fact that it is the fastest racket sport in the world. The feeling you get when you strike the ball, especially when doing a topspin shot, is something you won’t find in other racket sports.
There’s a sport for everyone, and table tennis will always have its loyal fan base.
Been playing since 9 years old and now mostly for hobby. Also do software on the sideline for fun.
1 thought on “Is Pickleball Taking Over Table Tennis in the Philippines?”
It’s really sad to see table tennis players switching to pickleball. I think one of the reasons is that it’s not just because pickleball is a trendy sport, but also because table tennis has a steeper learning curve for many people. This is something we cannot change, as table tennis will always be a spin-oriented sport.
But you’re right in saying that there are different sports for different people. Table tennis will always have its own market share among racket sports enthusiasts.