Beach Tennis USA Adopts Paddle for Tournaments

New York, NY — Beach Tennis USA® (BTUSA), the organization responsible for launching the pro sport of beach tennis in North America, today announced that it has adopted the use of the paddle, currently used in international competition, as the official equipment for regulation tournament play. BTUSA, who formerly promoted the use of a standard, regulation tennis racquet for use at its events, stated that the move to paddles was primarily to facilitate the unification of the many international beach tennis associations throughout Europe, South America, and Asia.

“By converting to the paddle, Beach Tennis USA will be able to work more closely with our international partners to grow the sport, both on the pro and recreational level,” said Marc Altheim, BTUSA’s Founder and Commissioner. Altheim added he believes the use of the paddle would help introduce the sport to more “non-tennis” players, allowing for beach tennis to become a more mainstream common activity for casual beachgoers.

To further its efforts in unifying the sport on a global level, BTUSA will also adopt the international court dimensions of 8 × 8 meters, and a net height of 170cm (5’ 6 ¾”).Beach Tennis USA recently completed its fifth National Tour at the 2009 National Beach Tennis Championship, in Long Beach, NY, and plans to announce dates for its 2010 season in February. To learn more, visit www.beachtennisusa.net.