9 Racket Clubs Turning Courts into Creative Communities
From tennis to pickleball and padel, these are the women-focused, racket collectives that you need on your radar.
Tennis season is already in full swing, having kicked off in March with the Indian Wells Open in California. Now, all eyes are on the Grand Slam tournaments ahead, set to carry the momentum throughout the summer. To get you in the mood for fresh air and movement, we rounded up some of the most vibrant and inclusive racket communities around the world. From She Can Serve — a dynamic tennis collective for women of color in London, to Los Angeles‘ pickleball club Pickle N Tequila, these communities are reshaping how people experience racket sports today.
Keep reading to hear more about our favorite racket clubs, and while you’re here, check out TALA’s new tennis capsule.
She Can Serve
There’s a need for more welcoming spaces for women, especially women of color, in sports. That’s why Rushan Tonge-Bobia, Angela Zamara and Memuna Koroma created She Can Serve. With a clear mission to make tennis more inclusive, this club is creating a safe space in South East London, where women of color can find representation and belonging. From a Wimbledon-style tournament to summer carnivals and an International Women’s Day event, momentum continues to build. Despite challenges, the girls are focused on expanding through bigger events, university partnerships and a mentorship program to bring more women onto the court.
Love Tennis LA
Tennis lovers with a shared passion for music and fashion, Andrea Henry and Andrew Fraser, launched LoveTennis LA (LTLA) in 2024, mixing sport, style and community, to shake up the racket scene. The group mostly hosts women’s tennis clinics and wellness events, with a few co-ed sessions mixed in for good measure. The club recently celebrated its first anniversary with over 100 players, a vendor village and some DIY photo activations that brought the LTLA vibe to life. Now, they’re expanding, teaming up with brands and even dropping their own merch line.
Slice Girls Tennis Club
Slice Girls Tennis Club (SGTC) is a Miami-based group for women of all skill levels, offering a fun, supportive space to play and grow. It began in August 2022 when friends Alexandra Philius, Shaina Louis-Jean and Carole Hollant turned their casual tennis sessions into a community. What started as a way to stay active became a hub for learning, connection and empowerment. “SGTC is more than just a club — we’ve created a space where fitness, friendship and empowerment come together,” says Louis-Jean. “In SGTC, all women are welcome, no matter your background or experience.”
Club de Padel
Who knew music and tennis could be the perfect match? After a trip to Barcelona in 2023, Lucy Noone-Blake, David Blake, Matt McKinlay and James Wigglesworth launched Club de Padel in Manchester, fueled by their shared passion for the sport. Bringing the beachside energy home, they created an experience-driven, music-first padel club. “The vibe is just as important as the game,” Blake shares with us. In its first year, the club hosted 20,000 matches and 10,000 players. With plans for expansion, sell-out tournaments and collaborations with brands like adidas and MyProtein, Club de Padel is continuing to make a name for itself in the U.K. padel scene.
Pickle N Tequila
Camille Mejia‘s birthday party last April sparked the birth of the popular pickleball LA-based group, Pickle N Tequila. Along with her sister Corliss Mejia, who is the Orange County branch leader, and her boyfriend Erik Godar, who handles operations, Camille turned her birthday party into a hit event. From speed dating to community tournaments, they created fun, low-pressure ways to connect. Despite the struggle of juggling events across different locations, the club hosted its first event in Orange County on April 5 to connect with more like-minded people and brands.
Sunset Tennis Club
Driven by their shared love for tennis and community, LA-based business partners Anna and Kacper Owsian founded Sunset Tennis Club (STC.) Kacper, a former pro player, and Anna, passionate about sports and entrepreneurship, launched the club in December 2022. Since then, it’s become a hotspot across Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood and Hancock Park, offering 1-1 coaching, group sessions and events. Through collaborations with brands like FILA and Sporty & Rich, STC is hoping to expand to New York, Miami and beyond. “Our goal is to grow our community and bring people together,” Kacper says, with plans to also activate at major tournaments like the French Open, Roland-Garros, and the U.S. Open.
Bisque Tennis Club
Bisque Tennis Club kicked off in London in the summer of 2024, built by Alex Chalder and twins Sebastian and Alejandro Zepeda. Spotting a gap in the racket sports scene, they set out to create a more relaxed, inclusive vibe: “Tennis often feels too serious or exclusive, unlike the welcoming atmosphere of run clubs,” Alejandro tells us. Casual meetups quickly gained traction on social media, and now they host events across South and West London. Looking ahead, they’ve got a tournament, a lifestyle merch line, plans to expand across the U.K. and even a community trip to Barcelona in the works.
Bows and Sports
With an aim to create a third space for people to socialize outside of work and home while being creative at the same time, Carolina Leal established London-based tennis and wellness community, Bows and Sports. In May 2024, Leal posted a TikTok call-out, which attracted over 5,000 members to the club. The community now offers tennis, padel, golf, pilates and social events like themed competitions and collaborations with supper clubs. In the future, Leal plans to expand Bows and Sports with merch, retreats and more opportunities for women to connect through playing the game, despite the hurdles of balancing its growth with her day job.
Metro Sisters Circle
Social platforms are the perfect way to reach the right audience, and similar to Bows and Sports, Metro Sisters Circle rose in popularity from a TikTok video. Queens-based tennis group was founded in June 2024, by sisters Essence and Shaniece Weller, along with their best friend Angelique Lewis. “We wanted to start a healthy social outdoor activity and decided to play tennis instead of doing your typical brunch on the weekend,” Essence shares with us. With limited access in their area, they’re now pushing for better facilities and a home court with more opportunities. The club’s next goal is to offer free lessons and build a space where everyone feels welcome to play.
