Our columnist grew up playing competitive tennis on Seattle courts that are now caught in the middle of a turf war with pickleball. He took up a paddle to see what all the fuss was about.

But on at least one front, there is no longer any denying that tennis and pickleball are in direct conflict. The battle for court space has arrived—and tennis is losing ground fast.

There are clusters of tennis-turned-pickleball courts all over Roxbury, three at Boston Common, and several more scattered across the North End, East Boston, and Back Bay.

The U.S. Tennis Association is flipping the script on pickleball by promoting its own short-court version of tennis called “red ball tennis.” ...

The U.S. Tennis Association is flipping the script on pickleball by promoting its own short-court version of tennis called “red ball tennis.” JUNETEENTH Juneteenth celebrates the end of ...