The short answer: Six-time Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza is partnering with Global Sports, alongside her sister Anam Mirza, as ambassador for the Pickleball Open 2025 in Dubai on 8-11 May. The $50,000 event is being held at PickleTurf Pickleball Club Dubai with the Dubai Sports Council. Global Sports already runs the Indian Open League and the Global Sports Pro & Challenger League.
by joe james
What’s the story?
Global Sports has partnered with tennis icon Sania Mirza for the Pickleball Open 2025 in Dubai, which takes place from May 8 to May 11.
In partnership with Pickle Turf Pickleball Club Dubai and the Dubai Sports Council, the tournament features a $50,000 prize pool and aims to establish itself as a leading event in the region.
Sania Mirza is a six-time Grand Slam champion. Sania and her entrepreneur sister, Anam Mirza, are partnering with Global Sports for the tournament in Dubai.
On the partnership, the former Indian tennis star said: “Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports globally, and I’m thrilled to be part of this movement with Global Sports.
“The sport not only promotes inclusivity and fitness but also creates a strong sense of community, which I believe is essential for the future of sports.”
This is not Global Sports’ first venture into pickleball. It has already created successful tournaments in India, such as the Indian Open League and the Global Sports Pro & Challenger League this year, with the latter being Asia’s largest pickleball competition.
Hemal Jain, Founder of Global Sports, said: “Our vision at Global Sports is to create a global pickleball movement by providing world-class tournaments that blend competition, inclusivity, and community engagement.
“With Sania Mirza joining us as our ambassador, we are confident that Pickleball Open 2025 in Dubai will set a new benchmark for the sport in the region.”
The recap
Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza has partnered with Global Sports for the upcoming Pickleball Open 2025 in Dubai from May 8 to May 11.
The $50,000 tournament will be hosted at the city’s premier indoor pickleball destination, PickleTurf Pickleball Club Dubai, alongside the Dubai Sports Council.
Sania Mirza was a former doubles world number one, and she won six major titles, three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles.
According to Bonafide Research, the Middle East and Africa pickleball market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 23% from 2024 to 2029, with the surge put down to increasing fitness trends and the expansion of sports tourism in the region.
This year will see Dubai host the inaugural Pickleball World Series this month with a $1.5 million prize as part of the Middle Eastern stop.
American stars Jack Sock and Sam Querrey, as well as the Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, are all part of the tour.
The profile of the sport will be boosted globally by the establishment of the Pickleball World Tour and the Pickleball World Rankings (PWR) that has a combined total prize pool of $15 million.
The World pickleball verdict
The growth of pickleball in Dubai should be exciting news for fans, investors and players alike.
The Pickleball Open 2025 in Dubai is set to be a big leap in pickleball’s development in the Middle East.
The Middle East, in recent years, has emerged as a sporting powerhouse, with high-profile boxing and UFC events taking place regularly, as well as Qatar recently hosting the World Cup in 2022.
Formula One has had the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on its calendar since 2009, and the Saudi Pro League boasts football icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane.
Pickleball is still in its early stages in Dubai, but the possibilities are truly endless as to how big it could become.
If you consider the amount of tourism that comes with these major sporting events and the accessibility of pickleball as a sport, there’s a huge opportunity to capitalise on that influx of people by pushing the pickleball facilities already available and hopefully building even more to maximise the footfall of sports tourism in Dubai and beyond.
The money and investment will not be an issue, as seen with the mouth-watering $1.5m prize money for the world series and the $50k pool for the Pickleball Open in Dubai, which will interest players.
Having a name like Sania Mirza, who is a star of another racket sport, and collaborating with Global Sports is a clever way of generating noise around the tournament.
Global has had success in India, and Mirza, being Indian herself, is a big draw. In a part of the world where pickleball is growing exponentially, like India, being able to redirect some of that buzz elsewhere on the globe, like Dubai and the Middle East, seems prudent.
With pickleball set to grow at a CAGR of over 23% in the next four years, this is another great opportunity for pickleball to expand its reputation.
