Tennis and Pickleball Should Shake Hands and Make Up

Cason Campbell, left, and former tennis pro Jack Sock, right (Picture Kerry Pittenger)

Some tennis players always seem to be mocking the sport of pickleball and those who play it.  Considering how many professional pickleball players have serious tennis backgrounds the ongoing ridicule has no footing.  Even if tennis players believe that pickleball is an inferior sport played by inferior athletes, why not say or do something encouraging and inspirational instead that would teach people of all ages about athleticism and sportsmanship and choosing the right sport for your fitness level? Something like this video below from That Pickleball Guy (Kyle Koszuta) would be an auspicious start, followed by clear and concise instruction from former tennis star, now MLP-PPA standout, James Ignatowich.

Why can’t people just enjoy playing both pickleball and tennis while adapting to and appreciating their similarities and differences? That may be asking too much given the times we are living in, I know, but it’s still worth asking of anyone who might be willing to hold in check their thoughts and emotions before using them as a misguided wrecking ball.

The endless mockery—what brings it on? Insecurity? Self-consciousness? Low self-esteem? Jealousy? Envy? Failure? An untamable urge to deride another? Whatever the reason, why be a mudslinger? What does one hope to gain? These are the central questions. But are there serious answers? Perhaps time will open minds and hearts and respond with substance, clarity, and wisdom, all of which Anna Leigh has been happy to share over the years and, with honesty and humor,  so has Zane Navratil.

The tennis-pickleball dust-ups are senseless and wasteful.  Many of us want to stay in shape, maybe make new friends and acquaintances. Activities such as gardening, home improvement, exploring, hiking, running, cycling, walking, social and organized sports, and yes, tennis and pickleball, help us along.  We keep moving to enrich our lives, our health, and to savor our spare moments away from work and difficult times whether they be spent indoors or outdoors. After all, in this world there is sufficient room for tennis, pickleball, and other sports. 

As for the pickleball-tennis face-off, anyone who casts aspersions on a game or its players is revealing something unbalanced about themselves.  No doubt social media and the internet—and always having phones in hand—have made it too easy for everyone to strike and bite in seconds without having to think about the potential harm caused by leaving a snide remark or even an emoji that conveys those feelings. Think about it, not even having to face the person one wishes to antagonize! How does any of this make the day better? How does any of this draw people to tennis or pickleball?  How does any of this behavior make one proud? Much nicer and more productive to start a good dialogue and show mutual respect. For that is how worthwhile relationships develop and flourish.

A thought just struck me:  is there such static between softball players and baseball players, floor hockey and ice hockey, badminton and ping pong, racquetball and squash, long-distance runners and sprinters? If so, I must prepare myself for a good, long laugh and wonder if anyone or anything will ever cut through and obliterate the static.  Who knows, maybe a few more words from erstwhile tennis pro Jack Sock will set the course.

It is my hope that the numerous unprovoked jabs from tennis players have only made pickleballers more grateful to have found a sport in which they can spend their precious time and energy doing something beneficial to their overall health and well-being while at the same time sharing the court with others who have the same desires at heart.

Please look over this short, random list of top pickleball players with (according to the PPA)  college/pro/competitive tennis backgrounds. They are some of the best athletes in the major leagues and none of them, to my knowledge, has mocked anybody. Follow the MLP-PPA tour and see for yourself what they can do.  PPA TV Schedule, MLP TV Schedule

A versatile and diversified writer, David Boyle has written three short story collections, published by independent presses. Though he earned his readership by writing reality-based fiction, Boyle has gained a reputation for literary stories, essays, articles, reviews, interviews, analyses, travel writing, reportage, and poems, a good number of which have appeared in both print and online magazines. Inspired by his wife's passion for the sport, David now loves pickleball and aims to illuminate current pickleball events and subjects with a fresh, creative perspective, offering readers something they can't find anywhere else. | My website | [email protected] | My Pickleball Journal