Pickleball is a sport that has gained increasing attention in recent years. Despite being fondly known as the “lawn game” in comparison to tennis, pickleball has made consistent progress and is now seen as a serious contender to tennis in the minds of many sports fans and players.
It came as little surprise then when, last week, the debate on the popularity of the sport reached a new height. This was mainly in light of the recent comments from Serena Williams’ childhood coach, who shared his opinion on the current tennis versus pickleball competition.
The debate about tennis and pickleball has been around for a while, but this was the first time a high-profile figure from the tennis world has shared his opinion. Speaking to EssentiallySports, Serena’s childhood coach George Washington declared himself to be a pickleball supporter and said that he believes the sport will overtake tennis in terms of popularity over time.
“When Serena was growing up, tennis was a much bigger sport than it is today. It has declined in popularity, while pickleball is steadily gaining in popularity. I’m sure that in the next 10-15 years, pickleball will overtake tennis as the most popular racquet sport.”
Washington then went on to explain his reasons for making this bold prediction. He pointed out that pickleball was much more accessible than tennis since it could be played outdoors on a tennis court or indoors in a gymnasium. He also cited the innovative “Just Play!” program by the US Pickleball Association, which makes it easier for beginners to learn the game.
“Pickleball as a sport is far more accessible than tennis. You just need some basic equipment and a large area to play, and you can start. The US Pickleball Association has also done a great job in introducing and promoting their ‘Just Play!’ program, which is making it easier for beginners to learn pickleball.”
Washington further said that this factor also makes pickleball much more suitable for different ages. He believes that younger players, in particular, can benefit more from playing pickleball as compared to tennis, due to the easier learning curve and the smaller court size.
“Pickleball is much more suitable for young players and is also more accessible. The learning curve for pickleball is much easier and the court is smaller than tennis, which makes it easier for younger players to learn the game and have fun while playing it.”
Washington also spoke highly of the dedicated statement made by the US Pickleball Association. He believes that this makes the sport more appealing to a wider demographic and helps to draw more attention to the sport.
“The US Pickleball Association has done a lot to make pickleball really appealing to both the young and the old. They have been continuously pushing for growth and development of the game, which has made it one of the fastest growing sports in the US right now.”
Finally, Washington concluded by saying that he believes pickleball has a bright future ahead of it since it is already making significant progress and that it is only going to become bigger as more players take up the sport.
“Pickleball is already on the rise and is making significant progress. It has the potential of becoming the most popular racquet sport in the world in the next decade or so. I’m very excited to see how it develops in the coming years.”
With a high-profile figure like Serena Williams’ childhood coach coming forward and declaring his support for pickleball, it looks like the sport is well and truly on its way to becoming a global phenomenon. With its accessibility, popularity, and dedication from the USPA, it won’t be a surprise if pickleball does indeed overtake tennis in the near future. It will be interesting to see how the sport fares in the years to come.
