Talk About Tennis 2.0

Hola! magazine confirmed Rafa and Mery's baby had been born shortly after the news was broken by Majorcan paper Diario de Mallorca, saying: “Both the mum and her baby, born in the 37th week of her pregnancy, are doing well. The birth took place in a private clinic on the island where Mery had to remain under observation and rest completely in the last few weeks.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/b ... y-28187782

Noah Rubin has announced his retirement from tennis, and is going to pursue professional pickleball.

JTContinental wrote: ↑Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:27 pm Noah Rubin has announced his retirement from tennis, and is going to pursue professional pickleball.

Love that this is considered a "serious issue"... Querrey got pickled, too. The danger is, what is they don't succeed? Won't it be embarrassing? How can you be a top tennis player and then get beaten at a mini version by weekend warriors?

I know, some of the pro PB players are good athletes, like recent college tennis players. But still.

Things you'll never see Federer or Nadal do.

This converting from tennis to pickleball in retirement risks becoming a popular trend.
The subject of pickleball is very popular these days... we hear of it being the 'fastest growing sport' in North America, high profile 'celebrities' are investing in it and creating teams (Lebron James, Tom Brady, etc.)...

Of course high profile players like Federer or Nadal would never convert to pro pickleball, because they'd have way too much to lose. Their reputations as tennis players stand above all others. That's what they want to be remembered by, obviously, and so won't risk that by venturing into any other sport as a pro.
And if ever they contemplate it for a moment, they need only think back to how Michael Jordan tarnished his reputation by trying to play pro baseball.

Kim Clijsters is investing as well:

Kim Clijsters is trading in her racquet for a paddle as she signs on as co-owner for Major League Pickleball alongside NFL star Tom Brady.

A rival league to the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), Major League Pickleball launched in 2021 with 12 teams, and will expand to 16 as it plans to double its schedule in 2023.

https://www.tennis.com/baseline/article ... eball-team

And even active players are participating:

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11, 2022 – Tennis Channel has added to its schedule live coverage of a star-studded pickleball evening that will feature Tony Romo, Dirk Nowitzki, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and John Isner, set for Thursday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. ET. Played during the Professional Pickleball Association’s PPA Tour Round Up in the Dallas area, the Celebrity Battle of the Paddle exhibition will showcase some of the biggest names in Texas sports and representatives from the worlds of top-level football, basketball, golf and tennis.

https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/te ... -nowitzki-

There was a commercial for something or another on MSNBC tonight that featured a group on its way to play pickleball.

Pickleball's popularity is becoming scary.

As much as I enjoy playing pickleball - and I've enjoyed it more and more in each of the 4 years I've played - I could not tell you the name of even one pro pickleball player.
I don't watch any videos of it - live or even highlights. And whenever I've seen highlights of pro matches, it all seemed very amateurish compared to tennis.

It's been airing frequently on tennis channel in the States.

I think it makes sense for the "2nd/3rd tier" players approaching retirement, even if they don't have huge success.

There is a ton of money being thrown at it, and it's "relatively" in its infancy. They can try to grab some of it. They can continue to be be professional athletes, have some income, and they don't have to leave the country.

Pickle ball in the USA, Padel in the rest of the world.
Let's admit it. Tennis is too tough for most people, especially if you start later in life.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:46 pm Pickle ball in the USA, Padel in the rest of the world.
Let's admit it. Tennis is too tough for most people, especially if you start later in life.

Tennis is definitely harder to learn, harder to find people of the right level to play with, and is more time-consuming and expensive. I have no qualms with pickleball but I think people conflate it with tennis too much.

I'll be curious if padel takes off here - my guess is no. It's way more athletic than pickleball and requires special infrastructure. Americans will associate it with squash and racquetball, not pickleball. It might become a niche sport here, but it won't explode like it has in Europe or like PB has here. It's just not nearly as accessible and won't be as cheap to play as PB is.

And someone responded asking about padel.

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 1:37 am

JTContinental wrote: ↑Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:27 pm Noah Rubin has announced his retirement from tennis, and is going to pursue professional pickleball.

Love that this is considered a "serious issue"... Querrey got pickled, too. The danger is, what is they don't succeed? Won't it be embarrassing? How can you be a top tennis player and then get beaten at a mini version by weekend warriors?

I know, some of the pro PB players are good athletes, like recent college tennis players. But still.

Things you'll never see Federer or Nadal do.

The retirement was the serious part

For Rubin, he noted that his height was not ideal for tennis, but that the shorter courts neutralize that disadvantage of being short. I've never played pickleball, plus I'm 6'2", so I can't vouch.