Typti wants some court-ly love: A new racket sport, which blends elements of tennis and badminton, is ready to have a ball

If you can’t get enough of pickleball and padel, here’s one more racket sport that is ready to invade your time and court. It is typti, which borrows elements from tennis and badminton. Created just this year by Steve Bellamy, the American founder of the sports network Tennis Channel, typti is still in the early stages of building an audience. The word itself (pronounced tip-tee) is a nod to invention: T is a tribute to tennis and the rest is what Bellamy calls “marketing brew”.

Typti’s proposition is simple: use a familiar court, a different racket and ball, and play a game that is easy to pick up but difficult enough to keep you interested. It is played on a standard 20 ft x 44 ft pickleball court using a short, strung racket and a large foam ball. It is fast-paced and bouncy but the foam ball eliminates the noise.

“The most important thing about typti is that the barrier of entry is low,” says Bellamy in an email interaction with ET. It does not teach players the language of racket sport. It gives them a new version to learn.

FAMILIAR YET DIFFERENT

Nitten Kirrtane, former tennis player and CEO of an eponymous sports centre in Pune, says typti’s appeal was apparent within minutes of playing it. “In the first 10 minutes, what struck me was how familiar typti felt and yet how different the movement and shot-making were.”

Kirrtane, who is now a pickleball player and coach, says, “You can pick up a racket and start playing typti almost immediately, but there is enough tactical depth to keep even an experienced player challenged. The rallies develop differently, there is real emphasis on placement and reaction and you have to think on your feet.”

This combination, accessible for a newcomer and interesting enough for an experienced player, is important if typti has to move beyond novelty value.

The sport has already tickled the fancy of Indian clubs and sports businesses that are looking for formats that can generate more participation from existing infrastructure. Sports management companies, clubs and court operators are already talking about bringing typti to India. There is also growing curiosity among recreational players who are looking to try something new.

Vijay Chhabria, who has played tennis at the junior level, has had a ball with the new racket games. He was India’s first gold medallist at the 2025 Pickleball World Cup in Florida and is ranked No. 1 in the 40+ men’s doubles category on the Indian Padel Tour.

He has now tried his hand at typti. “It’s a fantastic blend of tennis and pickleball and checks all the boxes that a sport needs to grow and thrive,” says Chhabria, who is also founder-CEO of Wonace Sports Management, Mumbai.

The fact that it can be played on pickleball courts and by most age groups adds to its appeal, he says. Then there is the simplest reason people return to recreational sports: it is enjoyable. “I thoroughly loved my first game of typti,” he says.

MAXIMISE THE COURT

For sports operators, the most interesting factor is the court. The rise of pickleball and padel has changed how recreational sport infrastructure is viewed. A court is an asset whose utilisation needs to be maximised, rather than a facility that is dedicated to just one sport. Typti fits into that model.

It can be played on a pickleball court, while one tennis court can accommodate two typti courts. For operators, this means they can test the new sport without building an entirely new facility. In urban India, where sporting space can be expensive, this matters.

“From a court owner’s perspective, converting an existing court for typti will come down to utilisation and revenue per square foot,” says Vaibhav Wavade, CEO of V3SM, which operates pickleball courts in Mumbai’s suburbs and is also involved in premium sports merchandising. “If it can generate high bookings, attract a new set of members and deliver strong repeat play, it will be a compelling proposition.”

There is another advantage: the sport isn’t noisy. Thanks to its foam ball, typti is quieter than pickleball. In the US, pickleball’s distinctive sound has become a source of complaints in some communities. It will be easier to accommodate the quieter typti in indoor facilities, schools and residential communities.

Wavade says the ultimate test will be demand. “The real game changer will be sustained demand from members. Once players start asking for typti, the business case for dedicating a court to it becomes stronger,” he says.

Typti’s potential player base in India is likely to be people who are already into racket games. But their interest has to be piqued. BI Sports, a sports content platform, intends to take the new game to the people. “India is ready for sports that are easy to access, fun to play and built around community participation,” says Rohan Menezes, chief growth officer, BI Sports.

Bellamy is looking to build typti as more than a recreational novelty, with competitive events and a pathway for players.

India has the necessary ingredients. There is an established racket-sport audience, growing interest in recreational formats, businesses looking at court utilisation and an appetite among urban players for something different.

Typti is entering that market before it has scale, but also before the market has decided what the sport could become.

For now, typti is an experiment. But it is no longer an idea on paper; it is already being played on courts. The next step is whether these early matches can lead to regular players, repeat bookings and eventually a sport with a place of its own in India’s increasingly crowded racket-sports economy.