Highly anticipated and full of exciting highlights, the 2nd Rackathletes Pickleball Cup on March 9, 2025, at the Ballsportgymnasium in Vienna not only delivered top-class matches but also made a strong statement for inclusion in sports with the first-ever Diversity Pickleball Team Cup – a Racketlon Unified event. International guests, emotional moments, and smooth organization made this tournament an unforgettable experience.
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Inclusion as the Winner: The Diversity Pickleball Team Cup
The Diversity Pickleball Team Cup kicked off the “Pickleball Festival for All,” bringing together players under 25 in mixed teams – each consisting of one wheelchair player and one standing player. Each team played two matches, but in the end, the experience of playing together mattered more than the result.
A particularly moving aspect of the event was the opportunity for standing players to experience playing pickleball in a wheelchair themselves. One of the participants, Jasmin Primus, was deeply impressed: “The atmosphere was truly amazing. I was really impressed by the abilities of the wheelchair players. It was also very interesting to try playing pickleball in a wheelchair myself.”
Sebastian Eggert, Racketlon Unified Project Manager: “We are thrilled with this very successful event, where we were able to include a group of athletes who are often left out due to structural barriers in many of our training facilities: wheelchair users. A huge thank you to the IDEA Foundation by helvetia, which provided us with strong support.”
Pickleball at the Highest Level
After the inclusive opening event, the tournament continued with four competitive categories:
🏆 Men’s-Doubles
🥇 Samuele Arcese (ITA) / Thomas Knapp
🥈 Julian Roider / Leon Roider
🥉 Filip Markovic / Martin Kova
🏆 Mixed-Doubles
🥇 Ashley Simpson / Thomas Knapp
🥈 Samuele Arcese (ITA) / Jasmin Primus
🥉 Abbas Nabizada / Emily Humes
🏆 Women’s-Doppel
🥇 Jana Stankovicova (CZE) / Hana Drdlickova (CZE)
🥈 Emily Humes / Ashley Simpson
🥉 Denise Hübsch / Jasmin Primus
🏆 Beginner’s-Doubles
🥇 Stefan Stangl / Thomas Adelbauer – ungeschlagen
🥈 Dominik Zmek / Christopher Hemmer – nur eine Niederlage mit 14:16
🥉 Iva Kralova / Petra Konecna (CZE)
The Men’s Doubles event was particularly thrilling, with Leon and Julian Roider putting on a strong performance in their first-ever tournament together. They made it all the way to the final, defeating Austria’s reigning Pickleball Champions, Martin Kova and Filip Markovic, along the way – only losing to Austrian national team player Thomas Knapp and his Italian Partner Samuele Arcese in the final. In the Women’s Doubles, international players stood out as well: The Lions Pickleball Club from Brno secured victory with Jana Stankovicova and Hana Drdlickova, while Iva Kralova and Petra Konecna claimed bronze in the Beginner Doubles event.
Instead of a knockout system as used in 2024, this year’s tournament featured various group formats. Another significant innovation was the first-time use of the RAQT app for tournament management, ensuring smooth organization and attracting numerous international participants.
A major advantage: All matches are now visible in the RAQT app (Android) (iPhone) as well as in the DUPR-system.
A Huge Thank You to Our Supporters
An event of this scale wouldn’t be possible without strong support. The helvetia IDEA Foundation played a key role in supporting youth participation. Thanks to their contribution, the Diversity Pickleball Team Cup was able to take place, bringing together young players with and without disabilities. A bright future awaits 14-year-old Lénárd Szeli, the youngest competitor in the Men’s Doubles event, who showed incredible talent and promise for a successful pickleball career.
Throughout the day, coaching sessions for children were also offered, ensuring that young players could develop their skills alongside the competition. SPORTUNION Wien once again provided invaluable support for the sport.
Special thanks also go to Racketista – The Racket Sports Magazine, which provided extensive coverage, photos, and videos. ProKennex supplied nets and paddles for beginners, while Diadem provided the tournament balls. The Racketlonshop offered logistical support, and with the help of ON YOUR MARKS, the tournament’s organization was seamless.
We would also like to thank everyone who helped with the setup and teardown: Sebastian Eggert, Helmut Hübsch, Mirja Kokkonen, Martin Kova, Thomas Knapp, Jasmin Primus, as well as the members of the PFA board: Ashley Simpson, Alex Rieck, and Peter Robic.
Looking Ahead
The 2nd Rackathletes Pickleball Cup & Diversity Team Cup demonstrated just how powerful sports can be in bringing people together – across borders, regardless of physical abilities. We are already looking forward to the next edition, where pickleball will once again prove itself as a sport for everyone.
