Racquets Biz Podcast
By: Dominique
Language: en-us
Categories: Sports, Tennis, Business
Welcome to Racquets Biz, the only weekly podcast created specifically for investors who want to understand and capitalize on the explosive growth of the rackets industry. My name is Dominique Lemberli, a career rackets professional and consultant who has spent years building programs, advising clubs.
Episodes
From D1 Tennis to Pickleball Powerhouse: How Martina Kochli Is Shaping the Future of Indoor Facilities & Coaching Apps
Dec 12, 2025In this episode of Racquets Biz, host Dominique Lemperle sits down with Martina Kochli, a former D1 tennis athlete turned top 15-ranked pickleball pro and now director of national partnerships and sponsorships for Dill Dinkers, one of the fastest-growing indoor pickleball franchise groups in the United States.
Martina shares a comprehensive inside look at the business behind modern pickleball, including:
What life is really like for today’s professional pickleball players — and why most still coach, teach, or run businesses to make it sustainableThe economic model behind profitable indoor facility development, including conservative leas... Duration: 00:31:56
Padel, Pickleball & The Future of Racquet Sports: A Deep Dive with Mark McMahon
Dec 05, 2025Today’s guest is Mark McMahon, Founder and President of McMahon Careers. With more than 40 years in racquet sports—as a world-class competitor, tennis pro, director, USTA executive, and now industry-leading search consultant—Mark breaks down what’s truly driving the explosive growth of padel and pickleball, the essentials of community-building, and the business fundamentals every modern racquet sports director must master.
Mark shares the evolution of his career from Melbourne to Boca Raton, his role in launching USTA’s national consulting initiative, and the story behind his highly respected Certified Racquet Sports Executive (CRSE) program. He also speak...
Duration: 00:51:02Scaling Pickleball Across the Middle East: Community, Coaching, and Club Growth with Patrick Chucri
Nov 28, 2025Patrick Chucri joins host Dominique Lemperle to unpack the rapid growth of pickleball in Dubai and across the Middle East. Patrick, former pro tennis player and founder of Pickler, shares how he transitioned from media investment to launching the region’s first dedicated pickleball club.
In this episode, they discuss:
Why he pivoted from touch tennis to pickleball after only two weeksHow he built a thriving club in Dubai despite paddle’s dominanceWhat drives 2,200+ app users and 110 daily walk-ins at PicklerWhy community, coaching, and tech are essential to club successExpansion plans across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and... Duration: 00:30:44Player Retention Through Tech Innovation: How AI Is Transforming Racquet Clubs Worldwide
Nov 21, 2025Pickleball is exploding. Padel is redefining racquet sports. Tennis is reinventing itself to stay relevant.
But with rapid growth comes growing pains… conflicting rules, frustrated members, inconsistent player experiences.
In this episode, Dominique speaks with Cassandra Toroian, CEO of Ruely.ai, a groundbreaking platform that uses AI to deliver instant, sport-specific rule clarification and enhanced gameplay support across tennis, padel, pickleball, golf, and more.
Together, they unpack how:
AI is helping clubs eliminate disputes and build stronger community cultureLeadership decisions on court allocation and programming must be data-backedPlayers and spectators adopt racquet sp... Duration: 00:33:29Conquer Padel’s Expansion Strategy and the Franchise Playbook Behind It
Nov 14, 2025In this episode of Racquets Biz, host Dominique Lemperle sits down with Barry Falcon, Chief of Franchise Development at Conquer Padel Club. Barry brings more than twenty five years of experience in franchising and has built and sold multiple franchise businesses. He explains why Padel is poised to become the next major racket sport in the United States, how the sport compares to pickleball, and why the timing for investors could not be better.
Barry shares his journey from New York to Los Angeles and finally to Atlanta, along with the sports that shaped his life...
Building the World’s Largest Pickleball Facility: Inside the National Pickleball Center with Justin Romero
Nov 07, 2025In this episode, Dominique sits down with longtime friend and former pro tour competitor Justin Romero to explore what it takes to run the largest pickleball facility in the world. From managing 85 staff members and 65 courts to partnering with Collier County and rebranding one of the sport’s most iconic venues, Justin shares his blueprint for building community and sustainable growth in the booming world of pickleball.
He reveals how creative leadership, smart membership models, and consistent presence on the courts can transform a public facility into a thriving, world-class operation.
What You’ll Lear...
Duration: 00:28:26Building America’s Padel Empire with Santiago Gómez of Padel Haus
Oct 31, 2025How do you build a profitable, design-driven Padel brand that thrives across multiple U.S. cities? In this episode, host Dominique Lemperle sits down with Santiago Gómez, CEO and founder of Padel Haus, to uncover the mindset, strategy, and metrics behind one of America’s fastest-growing Padel networks.
From a six-year career at UBS Investment Bank to co-founding Cosme—now ranked the No. 1 restaurant in the U.S.—Santiago has applied his deep background in finance and hospitality to transform how Americans experience Padel. With clubs in New York, Nashville, and Atlanta, and more on the way, he...
Duration: 00:31:57From Navy Officer to Racket Club Founder: The Story of Vamos Racquets
Oct 31, 2025Dominique sits down with Katherine Lynch — a former U.S. Navy officer, Harvard squash champion, and now founder of Vamos Racquets, a new kind of wellness and racket club in New Jersey. Katherine shares how her years in the military shaped her leadership style, why she believes community is the heartbeat of every great club, and how she’s redefining what “whimsy” means in the world of racket sports.
You’ll hear stories from her time navigating destroyers in Southeast Asia, lessons from serving as the right hand to a three-star admiral, and how those same principles — discipline...
Duration: 00:40:50Building the Women’s Padel Movement with Andi Neugarten of 6lovesports
Oct 31, 2025In this episode of Racquets Biz, host Dominique Lemperle sits down with Andi Neugarten, CEO and founder of 6lovesports, the fastest-growing women’s padel community in the United States. A lifelong athlete, Ironman finisher, and former tennis player from South Africa, Andi shares how she transformed a personal frustration—struggling to find women to play with—into a nationwide movement connecting and empowering thousands of female players.
You’ll hear:
The story behind 6lovesports and how it’s reshaping women’s padel in the U.S.Why Miami has become a powerhouse f... Duration: 00:19:44
How the Padel Boom Is Redefining Sports Investment in America
Oct 31, 2025In this episode of Rackets Biz, host Dominique Lemperle sits down with Patricio Misitrano, CEO of Racket Social and Misitrano Consulting, to break down the economic reality behind the exploding U.S. padel market. From startup costs and ROI to building community and leveraging data, this episode gives investors, operators, and enthusiasts a clear roadmap to sustainable success in the racquet sports industry.
Patricio shares insights from his 2025 Q2 Padel Industry Report and years of experience building clubs across the U.S., Argentina, and Europe. Learn why indoor facilities are outperforming outdoor ones, how pickleball acts as...
Duration: 00:50:49How Matt Lund Revived a Bankrupt Pickleball Club | Leadership, Strategy & Sustainable Growth
Oct 31, 2025When The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch went bankrupt just weeks after Matt Lund and his family moved to Florida, most people would have walked away. Instead, Matt chose faith over fear — and rebuilt the club from the ground up.
In this episode of Racquet Biz Podcast, host Dominique Lemperle sits down with Matt Lund, CEO of The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch, to unpack the story behind one of the sport’s most remarkable turnarounds. From a toxic culture and financial collapse to a thriving, data-driven operation with a strong community ethos, Matt shares his blueprint for...
Duration: 00:53:51Racquets Biz Podcast - Trailer
Oct 22, 2025Welcome to Racquets Biz, the only weekly podcast created specifically for investors who want to understand and capitalize on the explosive growth of the rackets industry. My name is Dominique Lemperle, a career rackets professional and consultant who has spent years building programs, advising clubs.
Duration: 00:01:19