Jun 11

Jun 11 Table Tennis Brand JOOLA Expands Into Pickleball

Before the pandemic began, JOOLA (pronounced Yoh-lah) was known as primarily a table tennis brand for almost 70 years. They produced high-quality rackets, balls, tables, and anything else you’d need to play the popular tabletop sport. However, with the pandemic closing down so much during 2020 and 2021, the company decided to pivot and began producing pickleball equipment. In 2022, they launched JOOLA Pickleball.

Pickleball is the top growing sport in North America. For the past five years, pickleball players have grown by an estimated 11.5% annually. From 2020 to 2021, pickleball grew in players by 14.8%, after a 21.3% growth from the year before.

Credibility Leads to Instant Success & Partnerships

As top-quality manufacturers, they are quickly making names for themselves by manufacturing brands like Wilson, Babolat, and HEAD.

“What differentiates us is our vast knowledge of composite materials and manufacturing innovations in the table tennis industry,” explained Thomas Nguyen, senior vice president of marketing for JOOLA. “We’re excited to bring that unique perspective into pickleball.” (Quote source: Pickleball Magazine)

They’ve also begun partnering with some incredible pickleball stars, most notably Ben Johns–currently the highest-ranked men’s player in the world in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. It was a natural partnership considering Johns’ background in table tennis–which he credits for his success on the pickleball court.

“Coming from a table tennis background, I know all about the technology that goes into maximum performance in the sport,” said Johns. “I think by applying that technology and expertise to pickleball, we’ll be able to make some pretty cool advancements in paddle technology.” (Quote source: Pickleball Magazine)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ben Johns (@benjohns_pb)

JOOLA Positioned to Grow in Asia Along with Pickleball

With its growing popularity across the US, many expect pickleball to continue massive growth in other parts of the world, especially in Asia. It’s already known for its table tennis presence and JOOLA is a well-known manufacturer for that presence, making it well-suited to take advantage of pickleball growth if it comes.

Something Johns is excited about, “I think we have enormous potential for growth [in Asia] together.” (Quote source: Pickleball Magazine)

JOOLA Launched on April 1st

JOOLA’s pickleball equipment line launched on April 1 and included paddles, balls, apparel, and accessories. It featured Ben Johns signature paddles known as the Hyperion Series. The official paddle used by Ben Johns is the Hyperion CFS (Carbon Friction Surface) 16, which features a reactive honeycomb polymer core and hyperfoam edge wall.

JOOLA Paddles

As mentioned, JOOLA is known for its high-quality craftsmanship, which shows in its line of pickleball paddles. Here are some of the Ben Johns paddles they offer: