The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), a trade organization that certifies and represents teaching pros, obviously thinks so. Earlier this month, the century-old group changed its name to the Racquet Sports Professional Association. Aspiring teaching pros can now be certified in five sports: tennis, pickleball, padel, squash, and platform tennis.
The evolution didn’t happen overnight. The USPTA began certifying platform tennis pros in 2017 and pickleball pros in 2020. According to CEO Brian Dillman, the new branding is, at bottom, a recognition of a rapidly shifting business landscape.
“The market was demanding this change,” Dillman says from his office at RSPA headquarters in Lake Nona, Fla., near Orlando.
“Clubs are adding new racquet sports facilities, and we want to take advantage of that.”
