In the last few years, we’ve seen some very decent tennis players moved over to the pickleball courts. Is it a threat to tennis? Nah, we don’t think so. Pickleball is just a fun sport that just works well for many. Just because you are great on the tennis courts, does not always mean you will succeed at Pickleball though.
Some of the reasons why some players change to Pickleball,: it’s less physically demanding, new opportunities or challenges, less competition or just the social aspects.
Let’s have a look at some of the famous names in tennis that has taken the step to play Pickleball instead:
Eugenie Bouchard
Popular tennis player, especially in her home country of Canada, Eugenie Bouchard, was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2014. She even joined the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour.
Tyson McGuffin
Tyson McGuffin, a former college wrestler turned tennis player, is nowadays big in the pickleball world. Having earned 7 PPA titles, he is the second most successful male player in the sport.
Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey, a former great tennis player, achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 11, Sam recently joined the Major League Pickleball.
Jack Sock (image above)
With 3 Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles, most US tennis fans know about Jack Sock. He moved to pickleball after battling several injuries over the last decade. Pickleball is just less demanding.
Ben Johns & Collin Johns
Collin Johns had a decent career in professional tennis and mastered pickleball quickly with the help of his younger brother, Ben Johns. In just a few years, Collin won 27 titles in pickleball. His brother Ben is widely recognized as the most dominant male player in pickleball, and they form a superb doubles team together.
Noah Rubin (image below)
Former Wimbledon Juniors single champ and a former USTA Junior singles & doubles champion. Noah Rubin made waves in 2022 when he left the tennis circuit, citing his dissatisfaction with the sport, and instead embarked on a career in pickleball.
Some interesting words from Noah: “The tennis court is just way too big and there’s way too much ground to cover,” “I recently came across the pickleball court, and it clicked, this is where I belong, this is home now. And in this sport, size doesn’t matter.”
Jay Devilliers
Jay played professional tennis from the age 14 but switched to pickleball in 2019. Within just four years, he won 18 APP titles and 2 PPA titles.
Jessie Irvine
Another player who switched to Pickleball due to injuries. She quickly became one of the top doubles and mixed doubles players.
Matt Wright
Matt Wright transitioned from tennis to pickleball in 2016 and has since won several major championships, including the US Open (Men’s Doubles).
Lucy Kovalova
Lucy has become one of the top players in Pickleball since she started focusing on the sport back in 2015.
Quang Duong
Quang Duong, a rising star in the pickleball world! At just 18 years old, he has already transitioned from ITF junior tennis tournaments to professional pickleball.
Gigi Fernández
A 2-time Olympic gold medalist and winner of 17 Grand Slam titles in tennis, obviously much because of age, he now enjoys competing in senior pickleball tournaments.
