[ad_1]
It’s been great to see the rise of pickleball over the past few years! Most everyone sees how fun, social and beneficial the game is. To the chagrin of some of their fans and tennis purists, even professional tennis players are jumping on the bandwagon.
I, like many other pickleball fans, believe that tennis and pickleball can coexist. They’re both great racquet/paddle sports. Even though there are similarities between the sports, there are enough differences to make them both viable. Tennis may be the king of racquet sports, but pickleball can be the prince.
Are Tennis Players Good at Pickleball?
With some of the similarities between tennis and pickleball, you would think it would be easy to switch between both sports. Tennis players might be able to hold their own on the court for a fun rec game, but are they actually good at pickleball? My husband, Todd (Mr. PickleballMAX), played tennis through college and has been a pickleball instructor for many years. He easily picked up pickleball, but had to relearn certain shots and learn pickleball strategy.
When he coaches players, he can immediately tell if they have a tennis background. Their strokes are smooth. They follow through on shots. They have good court awareness. All of those are good for pickleball. However, some tennis habits have to be changed.
Jigsaw Health – Discount Code!
Use Code “PickleballMAX10” at Checkout for 10% off your Jigsaw Order.
Professional Tennis Players Who Play Pickleball
There have been professional tennis players who for one reason or another have come over to pickleball. Some players might have retired from the wear and tear of tennis while others are good at tennis, but if they’re not in the top 100, they could potentially make more money in pickleball. Tennis players can easily succeed in singles, but it takes time to perfect doubles. Some of the players are dipping their toes into pickleball while still keeping a foot in tennis.
Andre Agassi, Sam Querry, and John Isner are defacto “spokes people” for the sport, bridging the gap between tennis and pickleball.
While some of these players are naturals in pickleball, others learned that it takes practice to compete at a higher level on the court. Genie Bouchard and Sam Querry came into the sport with high expectations, but quickly learned they had some new things to learn and perfect. Noah Rubin came into the sport with a bang, but ended up leaving just as quickly and returning to tennis when we couldn’t make it to the top of pickleball.
In addition to professional tennis players, there have been many college tennis players who have made their way to the top of pickleball. Actually, most all of the professional pickleball players have tennis somewhere in their background.
Pickleball Slams
There have been a couple Pickleball Slams that have welcomed professional tennis players. As of 2024, there have been two Slams.
In April 2023, ESPN televised the inaugural Pickleball Slam which was played at Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, FL. Tennis greats Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, and Michael Chang competed against each other. Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick won the $1 million purse.
In February, 2024, the second Slam was played with Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova. In addition, current pickleball players and retired tennis stars Jack Sock and James Blake helped each team out. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf won the $1 million purse.
Pickleball Events Before Tennis Tournaments
Professional tennis has been hosting some pickleball events before their major tournaments. Before the French Open, The French Tennis Federation provided a pickleball demonstration with pickleball pro Jay Devilliers. They converted the red clay court into three temporary pickleball courts.
A week before the U.S. Tennis Open, Head held the NYC Mash Up. Tennis pros Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Barbora Krejcikova and pro pickleballer Callie Smith were part of the event which put them on a pickleball court.
In another event prior to the U.S. Open, tennis stars Andre Agassi, Carlos Alcaraz and Caroline Wozniacki were part of a kickoff event that included pickleball.
Is Pickleball a Threat to Tennis?
While most tennis players are open to pickleball, there are those who are not, especially U.S. Tennis Association President Dr. Brian Hainline. In a recent Time article he said, “When you see an explosion of a sport and it starts potentially eroding into your sport, then, yes, you’re concerned.”
That’s understandable. Pickleball courts have taken over many tennis courts. And if they haven’t fully paved over them, they have taped or painted lines over them. Is that a pickleball issue, or tennis issue though? If people weren’t using tennis courts in the first place, it’s nice to see them used for something else.
Tennis has had the racquet niche to themself for decades. They have a legacy and a huge base. While pickleball might make a dent in their profits and audience, it will take many years if they are ever going to overtake it. In the meantime, both should be able to co-exist and cater to different audiences.
Let us know your thoughts below.
About Teresa
Teresa is the idea-maker behind PickleballMAX. Teresa joins Todd to manage and market PickleballMAX. She creates pickleball content and assists with pickleball tournaments. In 2023, she wrote a pickleball devotional book titled Pickleball Is [Not] Life.
[ad_2]
