For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball (sport).

Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek is credited with inventing the modern sport of racquetball in 1950 (the outdoor, one-wall game goes back to at least 1910 in N.Y.C.), adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velocity and control. Unlike most racquet sports, such as tennis and badminton, there is no net to hit the ball over, and unlike squash no tin (out of bounds area at the bottom of front wall) to hit the ball above. Also, the court's walls, floor, and ceiling are legal playing surfaces, with the exception of court-specific designated hinders being out-of-bounds. It is very similar to 40x20 handball, which is played in many countries.

Joe Sobek is credited with inventing the sport of racquetball in the Greenwich YMCA, though not with naming it. A professional tennis and handball player, Sobek sought a fast-paced sport that was easy to learn and play. He designed the first strung paddle, devised a set of rules, based on those of squash, handball, and paddleball, and named his game paddle rackets.

Cliff Swain is the player with the most tournament wins in professional racquetball history. He began playing the pro tour - International Racquetball Tour (IRT) - in the 1980s and continued doing so into the 2000s. Known for his great drive serve and on court intensity, the left-handed Swain was a dominant player in the 1990s finishing as the #1 IRT player in 5 seasons during that decade. Swain retired from the IRT following the 2006-07 season, but did play some tournaments in the 2008-09 IRT season. He also played on the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT) for former pro players over 40 in the 2008-09 season. Swain was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Cliff Swain was born on March 21, 1966 in San Jose, California and was raised in Braintree, Massachusetts. Swain was introduced to racquetball by his father, Robert "Red" Swain, a competitive handball player when Cliff was 13 years old. Swain was naturally talented and quickly picked up the game, soon winning Massachusetts State and New England Regional Junior Racquetball Championships. In 1983 Cliff Swain won the US Junior National 16 and Under Racquetball Championship. In 1984 Swain won the Orange Bowl World 18 and Under Junior Racquetball Championship. Swain played on the racquetball team at Providence College in 1984 before turning professional.

Rocky Carson is an American professional racquetball player (born May 21, 1979). Carson is the current racquetball World Champion, a title he also won in 2008. Carson was the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) at the end of the 2007-08 season., and finished ranked 3rd at the end of the 2009-10 season. A California native, Carson developed his game outdoors, and is known for an unorthodox game style that makes his opponents do the work. In 2008, he became the first man to hold the World Outdoor Championship, International Racquetball Federation (IRF; indoor) World Championship, and US Open titles simultaneously.

Carson has won 12 IRT tournaments in his career, with the highlight being his 2007 US Open Racquetball Championships title. He began to play the pro tour seriously in 1998-99, and won his first tournament in the 2002-03 season. Prior to the 2007-08 season Carson had only won 3 tournaments, but that was his breakout season, as he won 7 tournaments including the US Open and finished the season as the #1 IRT player.