Find a pickleball partner: learn the new sport together

Pickleball feels like a mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis: it is played on a court the size of a badminton doubles court, with a perforated plastic ball and a solid paddle. The rules take minutes to learn and most games are doubles. Because the sport is still new in Türkiye, dedicated courts are rare and players are scattered; if nobody around you knows the game, setting up a first match is hard.

When you sign up for Racket Crush you pick the sports you play and, through a short survey, a level for each: Beginner, Improving, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert. Your level shows on your profile and you can change it whenever you like; it does not move on its own with match results, so choosing honestly is the first step to a good match. On the Discover screen, players near you appear as cards with the sports they play. Swipe right to send a request; if the other player picks you too, you match and can start messaging inside the app. Once pickleball is on your profile, you see other players who play it or want to try it.

With few dedicated pickleball courts, many players use tennis or badminton courts with temporary lines and portable nets, and some venues add pickleball lines to their tennis courts. On Racket Crush you pick the court from the app's list when you open a match, and pickleball courts are still being added to that list. If your court is not listed yet, you can agree the place and time by messaging the players you match with.

If you have played tennis, badminton or table tennis you will pick up pickleball quickly. Choosing Beginner on your profile tells the players you match with what to expect, and your match post can say you are looking for another beginner. Playing your first games as a rally, without keeping score, lets you settle the rules, including the kitchen (the no-volley zone near the net), at your own pace.