From Roger Federer & Andre Agassi to Maria Sharapova & Andy Roddick: What tennis pros think about pickleball
Pickleball has been becoming popular among the masses and has also caught the attention of tennis legends. Since the first professional pickleball tour was launched in 2019, comparisons have been drawn with tennis due to the similarities.
Multiple pickleball tournaments, like the Major League Pickleball and the National Pickleball League, alongside the tour, are organized throughout the year. There is also an Association of Pickleball Players (APP) like the Association of Tennis Players (ATP), which organizes the tour.
The sport has caught the attention of mostly retired tennis players, who have played it in their leisure time and have had mixed opinions about it so far. While some agree it's fun, others discard its essence to be taken seriously as a professional sport in the same sentence as tennis. From Andre Agassi to Roger Federer, let's look at each legend's words.
#4) "If anyone pickle person ever ranks higher in tennis" -Andy Roddick once tore apart Pickleball's seriousness
Former US Open champion Andy Roddick was involved in a war of words on Twitter with a tennis-pro-turned-pickleball player Christian Alshon, who wrote on social media in April 2024:
"Pickleball has made me a much better athlete than Tennis. Point for point, pickleball requires more skill than tennis,"
This opinion did not sit well with Roddick who tore apart Alshon's words even calling it 'dumb', saying:
"It’s pretty hard to say one of the most ridiculous things on Twitter in a given day. Tell you what. If anyone pickle person ever ranks higher in tennis than what Sock will be at end of this year in his new paid pickle hobby, I’ll commentate a pickle match standing on my head. This ain’t a real discussion. Fun game. Dumb conversation."
With this take, Roddick joined many fellow former professionals who disregard the game's athletic requirement when compared to tennis.
#3) Maria Sharapova teamed up with John McEnroe for Pickleball Slam 2 against Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf
Maria Sharapova and John McEnroe teamed up in the Pickleball Slam against the iconic duo of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. The event was organized on tour earlier this year and amassed a total viewing of 990,000 viewers. This was a significant increase from the first version, which had an average viewing of 669,000 viewers.
However, Sharapova has pulled out from the next edition and has been replaced by Eugenie Bouchard. Speaking on the latest encounter, Andre Agassi, who backs the sport said:
"This time I will be pairing up with my Pickleball Slam win partner Andy Roddick who will be pairing up with Genie Bouchard. But I have the last laugh as I am pairing up with my legendary wife, Steffi Graf!"
Last year, while talking to Sports Illustrated, he had expressed how he had an instant connection with the game:
"After Andy and I took home the hardware at the first Pickleball Slam, I said I would be playing pickleball as long as I can walk— that's how much I enjoy this game. Naturally, I am so excited to share this experience with one of the best tennis players, my wife."
To this Steffi Graf also dropped her take on the event, saying:
"When I watched the inaugural Pickleball Slam in April and stepped onto the court, I was hooked."
#2) "Pickleball is fun" - Roger Federer gave his validation to the sport
20-time-Grand-Slam winner Roger Federer dropped his take on the sport after recently playing it. Federer expressed how the sport felt like a larger version of table tennis while finding it more accessible than actual tennis. In his recent interview with Extra TV discussing his Amazon Documentary, he said:
"It felt like a big version of ping-pong... It felt strange and unreal... It was like 110 degrees when I played, so I was more battling the circumstances than the game. It’s an easier game than tennis and it's fun for sure."
Federer's opinion adds him to the list of many legends who have developed an interest in the sport, which requires less movement than tennis.
#1) "Wild thought. Delete right now. I love pickle. But you had too many tequilas" - Pickleball investor Nick Kyrgios schooled a fan on the sport
Nick Kyrgios has been among the few athletes who have seen the growth in Pickleball and even support its future. However, as a professional tennis player, he is still vocal about how different the two sports are. Recently Christian Alshon's words seem to have offended many tennis players as he was also on the other end of Kyrgios' words when he said:
"Yeah. Let’s hide under the bed after this statement, hahaha, bro. Get me the best pickleball player and compare his talent to Roger Federer. Wild tweet, wild thought. Delete right now. I love pickle. But you had too many tequilas."
After witnessing the sport's significant rise in the United States, Kyrgios teamed up with Naomi Osaka to invest in the Miami Pickleball Club. He also confirmed in his social media story how many people doubted him, but his investment paid off in significant returns.