Racquetball Racquetball is a fast-paced sport played indoors by two or four players. It combines elements of other games such as squash and tennis. Players use racquets with wrist straps to hit a ball that is a slightly smaller and lighter version than a tennis ball. Racquetball enjoyed a rise in popularity throughout North America in the 1970s, although interest and participation in the sport has since declined. Joe Sobek developed racquetball in the United States in 1950. Sobek was trying to develop a new fast-paced game that was easy to learn, and the game that developed he called "paddle racquets". Sobek designed the new short racquet, and devised new rules that combined handball and squash; t