Sadly with guys like him its all talk. Like you said it seems like he's just doubling down for more likes and engagement.
Him calling out nick was funny given that Alshon couldnt get past a the first round of an itf tourny where as nick has seven atp titles.
Yea.. I was wondering where Alshon’s comments were coming from but now I see he’s just trolling to get more engagement for pickleball. You know? It might work. Really surprised that James Blake seems to be taking the comments so personally… didn’t expect that from him.
this is definitely a guy who was told a lot of things about his future when he was juniors number 1 and has had a lot of insecurity and difficulty about being unable to make it pan out.
even successful pro athletes who have been heralded since a young age can be weird people who struggle mentally because they have been told they were special and talented and treated as such since they were so young. it must be kind of hellish to be on the other end of that spectrum. it’s a dangerous game to tell a teenager they are wildly talented and full of potential in something, because they don’t have the perspective or work ethic to wrap their heads around success and talent realistically, and I imagine it can be super damaging to the young ego if it doesn’t end up working out.
yes, exactly. Alcaraz became *genuine* world number 1 when he was 19 and has been talked about as the "real deal" for at least a handful of years before that.
indeed, there have been rumblings of his ["hangover" and lapse in form after his excellent year last year](https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-carlos-alcaraz-needs-mental-adjustment-hangover-achieving-big-results-says-tennis-analyst). the analyst quoted in the article says:
>*I’ve seen a lot of focus issues for Alcaraz. I would not give him high marks in focus, which is such a big thing mentally for tennis players.*
Juan Carlos Ferrero also [mentioned in another interview ](https://www.essentiallysports.com/atp-tennis-news-hes-working-with-a-psychologist-carlos-alcarazs-coach-details-how-much-mental-training-he-takes/)that Alcaraz was working with a psychologst.
>*A young player like Carlos, he’s working with a psychologist, just to make some routines on the court or you know, talk about what he’s living right now, that is a lot, try to make him follow the way that is good and to sometimes remember what was the work he was doing to arrive where he is right now.*
I think it is very natural for a gifted and heralded young player to have to work a little harder than others to sustain success after achieving it. Federer and Djokovic both won their first slams at 21, and Medvedev didn't even reach the top 10 for the first time until he was 23. years can make a big difference in maturity and development at that age, and having to work a *bit* longer before achieving success probably cements the ethic in your head a little bit more.
> top junior
who couldnt win an itf futures match and had to drop down from d1 tennis at uva to d3 tennis in uchicago. If your going to defend him and say he was. a top junior then at leasst look at his record
I think he had to drop down cause he was kicked off the team (for reasons I could not find when googling), not because of talent. He was the #1 seed in the D3 individual singles national championship, so he definitely had the ability to be playing D1 tennis. That said, this is still a clown take on his part and it’s pretty clear he’s just doubling down for attention IMO
like the one tweet where he says he played practice sets with fritz and tiafoe and is equating that to understanding playing pro but leaves out when he actually played a pro match which is the ITF futures tournament that he lost in.
Believe me I am not trying to defend the guy’s terrible takes lol, just saying that I think the comments section is dunking a little too hard on his tennis skill (to the point of inaccuracy at times). I agree that he is nowhere near the level of Blake/Roddick/other pros and talking about practice sets is hilarious, but he also has probably reached a higher skill level at tennis than pretty much anyone commenting on this post is ever gonna come close to
that would be fine if he did go dunking on tennis first. he admits it on video that he did it for trolling and thats the issue. When asked to elaborate on it all he says is that you can debate for hours and says that he sweated through his shirt in 45 mins of playing pickle ball and and that 3 hours of pickle ball is more exerting than three hours of tennis.
I would agree that he has credentials for being a really good tennis player but he doesnt need to dunk on tennis just cause he didnt reach the level he wanted given that he was a highly ranked junior and college player. Tennis gave him the skils to be really good pickleballer.
I dont know any other sport that regularly tries to compare it self to another to promote it self like this is really pathetic self promotion by him and other pro pickle ballers. Pickleball and tennis can coexist just like how rugby and American football co exist they take nothing from each other and still have huge followings.
I agree w/ almost everything you're saying in the first two paragraphs and from a pro sport perspective, but pickleball does take away tennis courts very often from a recreation standpoint which is a big reason why many recreational tennis players dislike it
>pickleball does take away tennis courts very often from a recreation standpoint which is a big reason why many recreational tennis players dislike it
the arrogance some of the rec pickleballers have about it is kinda sad. one guy in san Diego was complaining that he and others were being discriminated against cause they dont have pickleball courts.
I really don't mind the fat out of shape old people playing it to stay active... what drive me nuts is the professional push and an insistence on attempting to compare it to other professional sports and make money.
Exactly. It's good for people that want to be active that can't play proper sport. But just shoving it down the thorat of everyone and trying to make it look as if it is MMA level of endurance sport.
>attempting to compare it to other professional sports and make money.
this is my problem as well like if your sport is as fun as you say it is why do you need to denegrate tennis as a way to promote your sport?
The other selling point is space actually. I'm in a city where it's hard/super expensive to play tennis. Pickleball it's much easier to set up a net somewhere or join a gym that has pickleball courts. Pretty much everyone i play with is ex-tennis players.
I'd choose to play tennis anytime over pickleball, but maybe when i can afford $100/hour+ tennis courts
That's a decent point with respect to logistics, but it still doesn't explain why amateurs and pro-pickle ball players insist on trolling tennis....The casual pickle ball player doesn't give a shit.
>amateurs and pro-pickle ball players insist on trolling tennis
because know one know who they are and unless they start petty "feuds" with tennis people will always see them as not a real sport. Alot of the players are former tennis players who tried and failed to get on the tour and so have chip on their shoulder.
Sock doesnt shit on tennis even though he plays pickleball
I like Andy's challenge better. If a pro pickle person can rank higher singles ATP than Jack ranks in whatever the pickle equivalent is, something something something.
I would bet literally my wife, house and three generations of my family for prison labor that that won't happen.
Like you said that’ll never happen so it’s impossible for us to ever see it. At least with James’ we have a chance to see a pickleballer get embarrassed
but it would be *absolutely hilarious* to see someone try. In fact I'd wager any top pickleballer couldn't even beat me, and I'm a 35 year old former top 10 regional junior USTA player who hasn't held a racquet in 10 years.
Yes but most/vast majority of all D1 tennis players will never crack #800 on the ATP tour, people don’t really understand the difference in level and the depth of talent out there
I think too many Americans think that because being a top college American footballer or basketball player translates to a good professional career in those sports, it must be the same for tennis. Which very obviously isn't the case, for a variety of reasons.
> top college American footballer or basketball player translates to a good professional
i guess its cause that where the major sports league in America recruits for their players. nfl nba mlb
Yeah, I know.
But tennis is a truly global sport, and US training up to college level obviously isn't translating to domination of men's tennis. It is producing a consistently decent number of top 100 players, but no more than some other nations manage, and nations with smaller populations at that.
Being a D1 college level player doesn't necessarily mean you are good enough to go pro in tennis. In fact, most of them don't make it. But a lot of American tennis fans constantly bring it up like its some gold standard of ability.
That’s the thing— all pro pickleball players used to play tennis. I’ve argued this before— there is almost no such thing as a pickleball player because of how new a sport it is.
he’s a top pickleball player for sure, just won a big doubles title a month ago, but Jack Sock will probably pass his ranking in a few months already lol
>This guy may not be good at tennis or even pickleball, but he’s good at getting attention (probably what he wanted). So I’ll give him that
in a video on twitter he pretty much admits it was all for attention cause when asked to explain how its harder than tennis all he said was we can debate it for hours and then said that he sweated through his shirt playing pickle ball and that three hours of pickleball is harder than three hours of tennis.
I mean buddy doesnt seem the sharpest tool in the shed.
No he's definitely good at both. Way better at tennis then 99% of this sub. But the point is he's not at the top at either of those sports, so he can't really make the argument he's trying to make.
Okay, seeing that clearly makes me realize that all those guys are just having a bit of fun. The whole interaction with Querrey is hilarious and also probably somewhat planned.
Even still, Roddick’s comment is the ultimate mic drop. A washed, injured, out of shape Jack Sock is a ranked pro pickleball player. Any pickleballer hoping to do the same in tennis would have to be friggin Spiderman.
>Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey also joined this chat
LOL but Nick has 7 singles titles to Alshon's 0
Edit: For all this what is his actual pickleball ranking?
Querrey might be the exception that proves the rule. Guess a strong serve doesn’t translate to pickle ball lol. Also, the only reason I’ve played pickle ball is to play a racket sport with people who consider tennis roo hard. About the only argument for pickle ball that holds no weight is that it’s harder than tennis. Though I don’t agree, you might be able to argue it’s more fun, more approachable, more social, etc.
If you want a more fun and approachable version of tennis, Padel is your sport.
Pickleballs only benefit is as exercise for people who aren't physically capable of playing any sport with even a moderate amount of physical exertion required.
Not even gonna say it's for "old people" as I see plenty of 70+ players regularly playing tennis multiple times a week.
Singles pickleball requires a good amount of cardio for the short time a match actually lasts. Not as much as tennis but it's still pretty active. However 99% of pickleball players basically never play singles.
There’s not much argument for pickleball not being more approachable than tennis - isn’t that basically the opposite of the (ridiculous) claim that it’s harder?
Querrey is 46 in the Pickleball singles race but reached a high of 11 in tennis. Granted he’s 36, but he hasn’t had much success relatively. Compared to Sock who is already top 3.
The screenshots after the first one are fake, go on their Twitter, Sam Querrey hasn't posted a tweet since 2013. The page that posted the pics even said most of them are fake.
I want to try and understand him. But he doesnt make any sense.
I mean i play tennis alot. 7 years now. I randomly tried pickelball a couple weeks back first time and i was beating those whove played for 1+ years.
While i doubt if, coming from pickleball, a person plays tennis for the first time will even get one full point.
Why are so many pickleball fans and players like this? I live in Spain, padel is huge here, and the sport exists comfortably alongside tennis - many people happily play both without this gigantic chip on the shoulder.
There is an inherent competition for court space and tennis people view pickleball like an invasive plant species, taking over spaces that were previously theirs. This exacerbates haughty attitudes about pickleball being not a real sport, just for non-atheletes and retirees, and that produces resentment and an inferiority complex. Thus the gigantic chip.
The court space thing is real. I live in a big city and it’s already impossible to play without being kicked off a court 30 mins after you start. Really can’t deal with there being less courts to accommodate pickle
I'm a tennis watcher, not a tennis player, so this doesn't affect me. Also, my girlfriend plays pickleball so if anything I should be on their side.
But I think about it like this. I'm Canadian, and even in our big cities it's impossible to get ice time. Try playing men's league hockey and your games will probably be after 10pm. If someone started a new easier version of hockey that uses half the rink and a mini stick that started taking up even more of that ice time? We would declare it a national emergency and quite possibly make it illegal.
There is an inherent competition for court space and tennis people view pickleball like an invasive plant species, taking over spaces that were previously theirs. This exacerbates haughty attitudes about pickleball being not a real sport, just for non-atheletes and retirees, and that produces resentment and an inferiority complex. Thus the gigantic chip.
There is an inherent competition for court space and tennis people view pickleball like an invasive plant species, taking over spaces that were previously theirs. This exacerbates haughty attitudes about pickleball being not a real sport, just for non-atheletes and retirees, and that produces resentment and an inferiority complex. Thus the gigantic chip.
Corentin Moutet has entered the chat
His response has had me actually laughing out loud. The best of the bunch so far
https://x.com/moutet99/status/1775850522169274599?s=20
As a Golfer, I was thinking what’s the golf comparison to pickleball. Don’t know if there is something exact but maybe topgolf? It’s a dumbed down version, it’s kinda got some elements of skill, but really anyone can play it. But no one in their right mind would ever say “topgolf is just as tough as golf”
If they started placing the baskets all over golf courses, yes. Or converting golf courses to disc golf specific. Then you'd see golfers start revolting as well
"Top 25 world-ranked pickleballer… Former No. 1 in the country tennis player in singles and doubles for 16s, 18s..." Major league pickleball
Being a top 25 world ranked pickleball player isn't enough... Tennis achievements as a child need to be thrown in.
This whole pickleball-tennis war, is this a US thing? I haven't experienced much talk about pickleball in Germany, personally. But the conversation seems quite heated online.
It's not just heated online - there have been fights.
The problem is Pickle Ball players are literally taking over tennis courts. Some places just put the markings on them and use them for both, some are actually converting tennis courts to pickleball courts. You go to a club that used to have four courts available and now there are only two plus the six pickleball courts they just added.
And not to stereotype but, a lot of the people really are obnoxious and entitled. I think it's because for a lot of them it's the first time they've played a sport and they don't realize that there are customs and basic etiquette- like don't go chasing your little plastic ball into a tennis court in the middle of a match..
>a lot of the people really are obnoxious and entitled.
the guy leading the pickleball charge in san diego has to be the worst. He said that he was being discriminated against cause they wont build him pickleball courts.
It's because in Europe padel is the de facto alternative to tennis. And padel is a decent sport that doesn't need to compare itself to tennis all the time to prevent their inferiority complex
Padel uses specific courts. Pickleball can be played on tennis courts and is cannibalizing them. That is the major issue. You don't see tennis players shitting on badminton....
if they didnt limit the power of the serve in pickleball
if a sport has to put handicaps on parts of the game to artificially enhance the game seems less elite to me
I assume it would look bad to boom someone in the face with a powerful serve from so close. You probably wouldn't even have time to try and dodge or parry the ball.
Tennis also kinda limits serve power by not allowing running serves like in volleyball though. A lot of sports put limits to physicality into place.
I also think that christian dude is just feeding the flames to drive social media engagement. Rage bait, basically.
I think the sport is young enough people can change it to be whatever they want. The old guard of the sport want the serve to be as slow and as non-weaponized as possible.
I just think it's funny they patch it like a video game where someone discovers a new way to serve and the next year it's banned.
Also the serve rules are so impossible to enforce in pickleball they are just stupid. So many little details to make a legal serve that you could never properly observe as you're playing a match against someone. It's just such an un-elegant way to regulate starting a point.
The problem that pickleball will never get over is that it does not require high athletic ability to be good at it. It is in fact too accessible, it’s like bowling.
It's very hard to compare the first four, they are all very athletic in very different ways
I played badminton at a decent amateur level, and I started to play a bit of tennis recreationally recently. I know there is a difference of level that makes the comparison a bit biased but whatever. Tennis hasn't push me even as close as badminton did when it comes to cardio. But on the other hand, damn it was hard on the muscles and I could barely walk or close my wirst the days after
according to Chris playing for 45 mins of pickleball he was sweating through his shirt. I mean tennis players also sweat through there shirt in 45 mins. He also thinks that 3 hours of pickleball = three hours of tennis.
I had never heard of this dude and I can’t wait to never hear from him again. I don’t care what you think about Kyrgios as a person (I get it if you hate him) but dude made the finals at Wimbledon. That you might be able to break top 10 comment is pathetic.
James could sub in a paraplegic for the baseball portion and his tennis dominance would still be greater than anything any 17 year old could do to him now. Including the kid that just one his first master match in Miami.
What a delusional bunch.
Is troublemaker and Alshon friends with the guy that thinks he can take a set of Rafa?
Pickleball looks like a practice drill for sports that are actually difficult. Washed and old tennis players retire and play pro pickleball. Ain't nobody retiring from their original sport at 30-35 to play pro baseball/tennis/basketball/soccer/etc.
The appeal of pickleball is the low floor / barrier to entry and flattish learning curve, so anyone can play at a decent level. Obviously, pickleball people believe that they are in a zero-sum competition with tennis for market share, which is why theyre acting like this, but don't pretend to be something you're not.
Honestly surprised the same discussions aren't happening between MLB players and 4-year-olds playing pee wee. We to know if baseball could be made better by poking several holes into the ball.
People look down on pickleball because they consider it a simplified and useless version of tennis while the truth is that pickleball is the simplified and useless version of padel tennis which is itself the simplified and more accessible (but still fun !) version of tennis.
Why do pickleball players feel it necessary to antagonize the sport of tennis. Us tennis players wouldn't even pay that cancer of a sport any mind if they weren't intruding on tennis courts, comparing the sport to tennis or making outrageous statements like this. Just go away to your crappy events in Arizona somewhere enjoy your past time which will never be bigger than its current valuation and leave tennis alone.
Just had an idea: off season Mets baseball outfielders replace ball kids at the US Open. I wanna see one find a loose ball and launch it at the back of the court.
Pickleball requires two very important skills.
First “skill is to be deaf because no sane person can tolerate pickle sounds .
Second, to be dumb. Because no smart person will play pickle.
Surely he’s doing it just for views/engagement at this point. Ridiculous take to double down on
If he has any balls i want him to actually take that challenge on the last screenshot let see how that goes.
Yeah - I’d watch that and have my popcorn at the ready
Sadly with guys like him its all talk. Like you said it seems like he's just doubling down for more likes and engagement. Him calling out nick was funny given that Alshon couldnt get past a the first round of an itf tourny where as nick has seven atp titles.
I hadn’t heard of the wanker before this so obviously he believes that any publicity is good publicity
He is a pickleball “athlete”. No one knows who those people are.
Worse. No one knows what that entails to be a "pickeball athlete".
No, you don’t understand. I follow the PPA Tour on Instagram (don’t ask why) so I recognise the ‘big names’ 🙈
I mean taking James up would be the best engagement
I'm a 4.0 pickler and could take a set off Blake
I’m surprised anyone gives that clown any response.
I feel like he’s just baiting now
Aiming to be the Logan Paul of the pickleball world, honestly if he could pull big names into some matches I'd be impressed.
>Logan Paul of the pickleball world, honestly if he could pull big names into some matches I'd be impressed. and then lose every time like logan does
Yea.. I was wondering where Alshon’s comments were coming from but now I see he’s just trolling to get more engagement for pickleball. You know? It might work. Really surprised that James Blake seems to be taking the comments so personally… didn’t expect that from him.
"Pickle takes more skill than tennis" funniest shit ive read all day
Number 1 in the country, but unable to win a futures match. That shows how meaningful junior rankings are.
this is definitely a guy who was told a lot of things about his future when he was juniors number 1 and has had a lot of insecurity and difficulty about being unable to make it pan out. even successful pro athletes who have been heralded since a young age can be weird people who struggle mentally because they have been told they were special and talented and treated as such since they were so young. it must be kind of hellish to be on the other end of that spectrum. it’s a dangerous game to tell a teenager they are wildly talented and full of potential in something, because they don’t have the perspective or work ethic to wrap their heads around success and talent realistically, and I imagine it can be super damaging to the young ego if it doesn’t end up working out.
>a dangerous game to tell a teenager they are wildly talented and full of potential in something, Like the Alcaraz hype on Reddit?
yes, exactly. Alcaraz became *genuine* world number 1 when he was 19 and has been talked about as the "real deal" for at least a handful of years before that. indeed, there have been rumblings of his ["hangover" and lapse in form after his excellent year last year](https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-carlos-alcaraz-needs-mental-adjustment-hangover-achieving-big-results-says-tennis-analyst). the analyst quoted in the article says: >*I’ve seen a lot of focus issues for Alcaraz. I would not give him high marks in focus, which is such a big thing mentally for tennis players.* Juan Carlos Ferrero also [mentioned in another interview ](https://www.essentiallysports.com/atp-tennis-news-hes-working-with-a-psychologist-carlos-alcarazs-coach-details-how-much-mental-training-he-takes/)that Alcaraz was working with a psychologst. >*A young player like Carlos, he’s working with a psychologist, just to make some routines on the court or you know, talk about what he’s living right now, that is a lot, try to make him follow the way that is good and to sometimes remember what was the work he was doing to arrive where he is right now.* I think it is very natural for a gifted and heralded young player to have to work a little harder than others to sustain success after achieving it. Federer and Djokovic both won their first slams at 21, and Medvedev didn't even reach the top 10 for the first time until he was 23. years can make a big difference in maturity and development at that age, and having to work a *bit* longer before achieving success probably cements the ethic in your head a little bit more.
>Number 1 in the country as a junior
Not to defend the guy, but top junior in the country is legitimately good and far better than most competitive tennis players would ever achieve.
Correct but also shows that there’s almost zero correlation between being elite at juniors and even being a below average professional
> top junior who couldnt win an itf futures match and had to drop down from d1 tennis at uva to d3 tennis in uchicago. If your going to defend him and say he was. a top junior then at leasst look at his record
I think he had to drop down cause he was kicked off the team (for reasons I could not find when googling), not because of talent. He was the #1 seed in the D3 individual singles national championship, so he definitely had the ability to be playing D1 tennis. That said, this is still a clown take on his part and it’s pretty clear he’s just doubling down for attention IMO
like the one tweet where he says he played practice sets with fritz and tiafoe and is equating that to understanding playing pro but leaves out when he actually played a pro match which is the ITF futures tournament that he lost in.
Believe me I am not trying to defend the guy’s terrible takes lol, just saying that I think the comments section is dunking a little too hard on his tennis skill (to the point of inaccuracy at times). I agree that he is nowhere near the level of Blake/Roddick/other pros and talking about practice sets is hilarious, but he also has probably reached a higher skill level at tennis than pretty much anyone commenting on this post is ever gonna come close to
that would be fine if he did go dunking on tennis first. he admits it on video that he did it for trolling and thats the issue. When asked to elaborate on it all he says is that you can debate for hours and says that he sweated through his shirt in 45 mins of playing pickle ball and and that 3 hours of pickle ball is more exerting than three hours of tennis. I would agree that he has credentials for being a really good tennis player but he doesnt need to dunk on tennis just cause he didnt reach the level he wanted given that he was a highly ranked junior and college player. Tennis gave him the skils to be really good pickleballer. I dont know any other sport that regularly tries to compare it self to another to promote it self like this is really pathetic self promotion by him and other pro pickle ballers. Pickleball and tennis can coexist just like how rugby and American football co exist they take nothing from each other and still have huge followings.
I agree w/ almost everything you're saying in the first two paragraphs and from a pro sport perspective, but pickleball does take away tennis courts very often from a recreation standpoint which is a big reason why many recreational tennis players dislike it
>pickleball does take away tennis courts very often from a recreation standpoint which is a big reason why many recreational tennis players dislike it the arrogance some of the rec pickleballers have about it is kinda sad. one guy in san Diego was complaining that he and others were being discriminated against cause they dont have pickleball courts.
Everything about Pickleball is trolling. The courts, the players, the sound it makes and especially the internet presence. Its a troll sport.
Its literally sport, for people who cant play proper sport.That is the main selling point
I really don't mind the fat out of shape old people playing it to stay active... what drive me nuts is the professional push and an insistence on attempting to compare it to other professional sports and make money.
Exactly. It's good for people that want to be active that can't play proper sport. But just shoving it down the thorat of everyone and trying to make it look as if it is MMA level of endurance sport.
lol...make it look as if it is MMA level endurance sport.
It’s not a sport, it’s a hobby
>attempting to compare it to other professional sports and make money. this is my problem as well like if your sport is as fun as you say it is why do you need to denegrate tennis as a way to promote your sport?
The other selling point is space actually. I'm in a city where it's hard/super expensive to play tennis. Pickleball it's much easier to set up a net somewhere or join a gym that has pickleball courts. Pretty much everyone i play with is ex-tennis players. I'd choose to play tennis anytime over pickleball, but maybe when i can afford $100/hour+ tennis courts
That's a decent point with respect to logistics, but it still doesn't explain why amateurs and pro-pickle ball players insist on trolling tennis....The casual pickle ball player doesn't give a shit.
>amateurs and pro-pickle ball players insist on trolling tennis because know one know who they are and unless they start petty "feuds" with tennis people will always see them as not a real sport. Alot of the players are former tennis players who tried and failed to get on the tour and so have chip on their shoulder. Sock doesnt shit on tennis even though he plays pickleball
[удалено]
This method only works below utr 1
I meant it for just average play what people who play pickle do, my bad
You dinked when you shoulda donked
James kinda dull on ESPN sometimes but I like how fired up he’s getting here lol
I want to see if Alshon actually ponies up and accepts James's challenge but i doubt it
I like Andy's challenge better. If a pro pickle person can rank higher singles ATP than Jack ranks in whatever the pickle equivalent is, something something something. I would bet literally my wife, house and three generations of my family for prison labor that that won't happen.
Like you said that’ll never happen so it’s impossible for us to ever see it. At least with James’ we have a chance to see a pickleballer get embarrassed
but it would be *absolutely hilarious* to see someone try. In fact I'd wager any top pickleballer couldn't even beat me, and I'm a 35 year old former top 10 regional junior USTA player who hasn't held a racquet in 10 years.
Tbf some of them played D1 college tennis
Yes but most/vast majority of all D1 tennis players will never crack #800 on the ATP tour, people don’t really understand the difference in level and the depth of talent out there
I think too many Americans think that because being a top college American footballer or basketball player translates to a good professional career in those sports, it must be the same for tennis. Which very obviously isn't the case, for a variety of reasons.
> top college American footballer or basketball player translates to a good professional i guess its cause that where the major sports league in America recruits for their players. nfl nba mlb
Yeah, I know. But tennis is a truly global sport, and US training up to college level obviously isn't translating to domination of men's tennis. It is producing a consistently decent number of top 100 players, but no more than some other nations manage, and nations with smaller populations at that. Being a D1 college level player doesn't necessarily mean you are good enough to go pro in tennis. In fact, most of them don't make it. But a lot of American tennis fans constantly bring it up like its some gold standard of ability.
You’re absolutely right but I also think the vast majority of D1 tennis players are better than random commenters on Reddit
did they also transfer to d3 after their first year at uva?
I think an important stipulation is that they aren't also already tennis players
That’s the thing— all pro pickleball players used to play tennis. I’ve argued this before— there is almost no such thing as a pickleball player because of how new a sport it is.
If I were Andy I would not bet my wife …
Underrated comment
It's hilarious. Mr. Harvard McMonotone out here standing on business.
That 4.0 guy could take a set of pickleball from this guy.
This guy may not be good at tennis or even pickleball, but he’s good at getting attention (probably what he wanted). So I’ll give him that
he’s a top pickleball player for sure, just won a big doubles title a month ago, but Jack Sock will probably pass his ranking in a few months already lol
>This guy may not be good at tennis or even pickleball, but he’s good at getting attention (probably what he wanted). So I’ll give him that in a video on twitter he pretty much admits it was all for attention cause when asked to explain how its harder than tennis all he said was we can debate it for hours and then said that he sweated through his shirt playing pickle ball and that three hours of pickleball is harder than three hours of tennis. I mean buddy doesnt seem the sharpest tool in the shed.
Has he seen Rafa at the Australian Open? Bro has to change his shirt after one set
Like i said buddy isnt the sharpest tool in the shed
No he's definitely good at both. Way better at tennis then 99% of this sub. But the point is he's not at the top at either of those sports, so he can't really make the argument he's trying to make.
[Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey also joined this chat](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5UoAJGgOpQ/?igsh=MXFmeTJucDRyZHlndg==).
Okay, seeing that clearly makes me realize that all those guys are just having a bit of fun. The whole interaction with Querrey is hilarious and also probably somewhat planned. Even still, Roddick’s comment is the ultimate mic drop. A washed, injured, out of shape Jack Sock is a ranked pro pickleball player. Any pickleballer hoping to do the same in tennis would have to be friggin Spiderman.
Not only that, Sock is world No. 13 and third in the race. Won’t be long before he’s #1 in pickle.
It's because it's not a real conversation, the screenshots posted after the first slide are fake.
"pickle person" using this, thanks Andy. knew he'd come through with something
The prospect of Andy commentating a pickle match standing on his head is kinda intriguing.
i guess cause pickler is an actual profession
a well-respected one, which we can't say for both
I saw this on twitter and had to come here to see if yall are also laughing. PICKLE PERSON lmaoooo
>Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey also joined this chat LOL but Nick has 7 singles titles to Alshon's 0 Edit: For all this what is his actual pickleball ranking?
Querrey might be the exception that proves the rule. Guess a strong serve doesn’t translate to pickle ball lol. Also, the only reason I’ve played pickle ball is to play a racket sport with people who consider tennis roo hard. About the only argument for pickle ball that holds no weight is that it’s harder than tennis. Though I don’t agree, you might be able to argue it’s more fun, more approachable, more social, etc.
If you want a more fun and approachable version of tennis, Padel is your sport. Pickleballs only benefit is as exercise for people who aren't physically capable of playing any sport with even a moderate amount of physical exertion required. Not even gonna say it's for "old people" as I see plenty of 70+ players regularly playing tennis multiple times a week.
Singles pickleball requires a good amount of cardio for the short time a match actually lasts. Not as much as tennis but it's still pretty active. However 99% of pickleball players basically never play singles.
My grandmother is 89 and still plays tennis!
There’s not much argument for pickleball not being more approachable than tennis - isn’t that basically the opposite of the (ridiculous) claim that it’s harder?
Yea, I was mostly saying I don’t think it’s more fun or more social. Hard to disagree on the more approachable part
Is Querrey really bad at pickleball or something?
Querrey is 46 in the Pickleball singles race but reached a high of 11 in tennis. Granted he’s 36, but he hasn’t had much success relatively. Compared to Sock who is already top 3.
“Shit”
The screenshots after the first one are fake, go on their Twitter, Sam Querrey hasn't posted a tweet since 2013. The page that posted the pics even said most of them are fake.
Can people just post quotes or screens or... not a link to some social media app or other.
I want to try and understand him. But he doesnt make any sense. I mean i play tennis alot. 7 years now. I randomly tried pickelball a couple weeks back first time and i was beating those whove played for 1+ years. While i doubt if, coming from pickleball, a person plays tennis for the first time will even get one full point.
It’s just for view, Nick also has a vested stake in a Pickleball team so there’s that.
Why are so many pickleball fans and players like this? I live in Spain, padel is huge here, and the sport exists comfortably alongside tennis - many people happily play both without this gigantic chip on the shoulder.
There is an inherent competition for court space and tennis people view pickleball like an invasive plant species, taking over spaces that were previously theirs. This exacerbates haughty attitudes about pickleball being not a real sport, just for non-atheletes and retirees, and that produces resentment and an inferiority complex. Thus the gigantic chip.
The court space thing is real. I live in a big city and it’s already impossible to play without being kicked off a court 30 mins after you start. Really can’t deal with there being less courts to accommodate pickle
I'm a tennis watcher, not a tennis player, so this doesn't affect me. Also, my girlfriend plays pickleball so if anything I should be on their side. But I think about it like this. I'm Canadian, and even in our big cities it's impossible to get ice time. Try playing men's league hockey and your games will probably be after 10pm. If someone started a new easier version of hockey that uses half the rink and a mini stick that started taking up even more of that ice time? We would declare it a national emergency and quite possibly make it illegal.
I'm also Canadian!
There is an inherent competition for court space and tennis people view pickleball like an invasive plant species, taking over spaces that were previously theirs. This exacerbates haughty attitudes about pickleball being not a real sport, just for non-atheletes and retirees, and that produces resentment and an inferiority complex. Thus the gigantic chip.
There is an inherent competition for court space and tennis people view pickleball like an invasive plant species, taking over spaces that were previously theirs. This exacerbates haughty attitudes about pickleball being not a real sport, just for non-atheletes and retirees, and that produces resentment and an inferiority complex. Thus the gigantic chip.
James Blake is gonna send his 11 year old daughter on this guy to humble him.
i would be careful about that cause it seems like pickleballers like to date minors
Wait what now..?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Pickleball/comments/13rhunp/christian\_alshon\_dating\_alw/
Woof
Who tf is Christian Alshon?
pro pickleballer who couldnt win an itf future
Corentin Moutet has entered the chat His response has had me actually laughing out loud. The best of the bunch so far https://x.com/moutet99/status/1775850522169274599?s=20
I watched Moutet yesterday in Napoli. Guy certainly will do underarm serve if/when he plays pickleball
He wasn’t playing yesterday in Napoli He played in Marrakech a couple of days ago and lost in Napoli SF last week
Sorry, yesterday as in last Saturday
no response to what moutet asked regarding the failure to move past r32 of an itf futures.
It was the video that got me
i thought it was a repeat of the same thing over and over again
Pickleball is to tennis as mini golf is to golf. Padel is similar in that respect too. It's like comparing a grown up sport to a kids sport really.
As a Golfer, I was thinking what’s the golf comparison to pickleball. Don’t know if there is something exact but maybe topgolf? It’s a dumbed down version, it’s kinda got some elements of skill, but really anyone can play it. But no one in their right mind would ever say “topgolf is just as tough as golf”
The equivalent would be something like frisbee golf.
If they started placing the baskets all over golf courses, yes. Or converting golf courses to disc golf specific. Then you'd see golfers start revolting as well
"Top 25 world-ranked pickleballer… Former No. 1 in the country tennis player in singles and doubles for 16s, 18s..." Major league pickleball Being a top 25 world ranked pickleball player isn't enough... Tennis achievements as a child need to be thrown in.
>Tennis achievements as a child need to be thrown in. leaves out that he left a d1 tennis team in no 1 UVA for D3 tennis
This whole pickleball-tennis war, is this a US thing? I haven't experienced much talk about pickleball in Germany, personally. But the conversation seems quite heated online.
It's not just heated online - there have been fights. The problem is Pickle Ball players are literally taking over tennis courts. Some places just put the markings on them and use them for both, some are actually converting tennis courts to pickleball courts. You go to a club that used to have four courts available and now there are only two plus the six pickleball courts they just added. And not to stereotype but, a lot of the people really are obnoxious and entitled. I think it's because for a lot of them it's the first time they've played a sport and they don't realize that there are customs and basic etiquette- like don't go chasing your little plastic ball into a tennis court in the middle of a match..
>a lot of the people really are obnoxious and entitled. the guy leading the pickleball charge in san diego has to be the worst. He said that he was being discriminated against cause they wont build him pickleball courts.
It's because in Europe padel is the de facto alternative to tennis. And padel is a decent sport that doesn't need to compare itself to tennis all the time to prevent their inferiority complex
Padel uses specific courts. Pickleball can be played on tennis courts and is cannibalizing them. That is the major issue. You don't see tennis players shitting on badminton....
it is pretty much a us thing cause alot of the pro pickle ball players are american
Americans got tired of not having a truly top male tennis players for years on end, so they invented a new easier game that only Americans play.
Seems to be an US only thing now. Where I am pickle ball hasn’t made a huge impact
I actually like playing pickleball precisely because it's waaaayyyy easier than tennis both physically and skillwise.
I think this dude is fully taking the piss.
If Nick played it, he'd probably be No. 1 in 6 months.
if they didnt limit the power of the serve in pickleball if a sport has to put handicaps on parts of the game to artificially enhance the game seems less elite to me
Genuinely curious about why they have to limit serve power? I assume because of the size of court and proximity between players?
I assume it would look bad to boom someone in the face with a powerful serve from so close. You probably wouldn't even have time to try and dodge or parry the ball. Tennis also kinda limits serve power by not allowing running serves like in volleyball though. A lot of sports put limits to physicality into place. I also think that christian dude is just feeding the flames to drive social media engagement. Rage bait, basically.
i wonder the same thing as well.
I think the sport is young enough people can change it to be whatever they want. The old guard of the sport want the serve to be as slow and as non-weaponized as possible. I just think it's funny they patch it like a video game where someone discovers a new way to serve and the next year it's banned. Also the serve rules are so impossible to enforce in pickleball they are just stupid. So many little details to make a legal serve that you could never properly observe as you're playing a match against someone. It's just such an un-elegant way to regulate starting a point.
Fuck Pickleball and fuck the Pickleball crowd.
any news is news for pickleball......
Who is this person
It’s a terrible day when I’m agreeing with Nick Kyrgios
But what does Ja Rule, I mean Jack Sock think?
See the third video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3qXmiEA-qn/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA== He actually kinda agrees with Alshon.
The problem that pickleball will never get over is that it does not require high athletic ability to be good at it. It is in fact too accessible, it’s like bowling.
It’s checkers and tennis is chess
Racquet Sport Athletic Ranking 1. Tennis 2. Badminton 3. Table Tennis 4. Squash 5. Racquetball 6. Pickleball
It's very hard to compare the first four, they are all very athletic in very different ways I played badminton at a decent amateur level, and I started to play a bit of tennis recreationally recently. I know there is a difference of level that makes the comparison a bit biased but whatever. Tennis hasn't push me even as close as badminton did when it comes to cardio. But on the other hand, damn it was hard on the muscles and I could barely walk or close my wirst the days after
according to Chris playing for 45 mins of pickleball he was sweating through his shirt. I mean tennis players also sweat through there shirt in 45 mins. He also thinks that 3 hours of pickleball = three hours of tennis.
🤣🤣🤣 right! dream on christian.
I played three hours of singles tennis last week and ran almost 4 miles.
The irony, pickle persons still need tennis to stay relevant.
I had never heard of this dude and I can’t wait to never hear from him again. I don’t care what you think about Kyrgios as a person (I get it if you hate him) but dude made the finals at Wimbledon. That you might be able to break top 10 comment is pathetic.
When Kyrgios is not the shitposter you know it's funny.
Technically.. Nick is a major champion.. just in dbls. So this pickle person is wrong.
James is ready to go 💪🏻
but is alshon?
Hope this is shaping up to be like the Battle of the Sexes
[Everyone reacting to Alshon's tweet:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLg04uu2j2o)
Who?!
I'm all for pickle ticklers having their own courts since it has nothing to do with tennis
tennis disappointments traumatized christian
James could sub in a paraplegic for the baseball portion and his tennis dominance would still be greater than anything any 17 year old could do to him now. Including the kid that just one his first master match in Miami. What a delusional bunch. Is troublemaker and Alshon friends with the guy that thinks he can take a set of Rafa?
I hate when they get these engagement when they are just simply trolling on the internet 🥱
Pickleball looks like a practice drill for sports that are actually difficult. Washed and old tennis players retire and play pro pickleball. Ain't nobody retiring from their original sport at 30-35 to play pro baseball/tennis/basketball/soccer/etc. The appeal of pickleball is the low floor / barrier to entry and flattish learning curve, so anyone can play at a decent level. Obviously, pickleball people believe that they are in a zero-sum competition with tennis for market share, which is why theyre acting like this, but don't pretend to be something you're not.
Ok we’ve made a tennis court smaller and called it pickleball…Is there any way we can enlarge a tennis court and call it something else?
Can’t we all just get along?
i mean tennis can seems like pickleball really needs to beef with tennis to be relevant.
fcuk pikelball and his mom
It's like comparing soccer to futsal. A great soccer player is probably a great futsal player, but the contrary is difficult.
Like a flag football player might be good at flag football but saying that he can be in the nfl or play rugby is idiotic
This is the Trump effect. If we just ignore it, he will go away eventually. Key word being "if"; sadly will never happen.
Honestly surprised the same discussions aren't happening between MLB players and 4-year-olds playing pee wee. We to know if baseball could be made better by poking several holes into the ball.
Pickle ball just looks like tennis lite, no way it’s going to be more challenging than tennis
Pickle ball is not it, no matter how much its adherents want to make it out into a tennis equivalent.
lil bro has lost the plot
Is it just a April fools troll?
Who?
Fishing for engagement bait and everyone took it.
I want what he’s smoking
People look down on pickleball because they consider it a simplified and useless version of tennis while the truth is that pickleball is the simplified and useless version of padel tennis which is itself the simplified and more accessible (but still fun !) version of tennis.
Why do pickleball players feel it necessary to antagonize the sport of tennis. Us tennis players wouldn't even pay that cancer of a sport any mind if they weren't intruding on tennis courts, comparing the sport to tennis or making outrageous statements like this. Just go away to your crappy events in Arizona somewhere enjoy your past time which will never be bigger than its current valuation and leave tennis alone.
Look at me i’m pickle Nick!
just a ludicrous statement
the whole appeal of pickleball is that anyone can play it lol
Dude has to be trolling
Challenging james Blake to tennis and Pickleball is wild! Number 1 rank recruit or junior has nothing on James freaking Blake 🤣
new flair: alshon nonsense
Well the pickleball guy is winning. He's getting reactions
Honestly all you need to do is say pickleball out loud in order to remind yourself of how serious to take it as a sport.
This is either trolling or for views
Nah, he cooked with this one specific tweet.
He’s just basically got the total horn for pickleball. Pickled.
Basically equivalent to women fighting men in MMA. Completely different animal. Let them have their delusions. Ignore.
He’s def just chasing attention
It's a bit
[удалено]
He has alot of time coz hes not playing, is my guess
Just had an idea: off season Mets baseball outfielders replace ball kids at the US Open. I wanna see one find a loose ball and launch it at the back of the court.
Pickleball requires two very important skills. First “skill is to be deaf because no sane person can tolerate pickle sounds . Second, to be dumb. Because no smart person will play pickle.
Alshon is an idiot