Are Tennis Players Good at Pickleball?

What is Pickleball? 

Pickleball started off life as a garden sport back in the 1970s. It has grown hugely in popularity over the past couple of decades, due to the lack of equipment needed, small court space, and slower pace of play. 

The sport is very versatile in nature and was thought of as just a recreational game that didn’t have a place in the world of professional racket sports for a long time. 

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and padel, but is played with a hollow wiffle ball and a solid wooden bat. This gives the sport its characteristic click-clack sound, so it can be heard before it’s seen.

Teamwork and Friendliness

Pickleball is more similar to tennis and padel, given that the ball must bounce on each side of the net. Pickleball rules aren’t quite as complicated as other racket sports too, making it easily accessible to players that are completely new to the game. The main rules that have to be grasped by new players are the no-volley zone and serving. 

The no-volley zone is exactly as it sounds. It’s an area right up close to the net in which players are not allowed to volley the ball, or they lose the point. The aim is to bring players close to this zone and try and force them to volley, or to play a short shot that forces the opponent to hit up. 

Serving is quite unique in pickleball, too. Players must serve underarm and cannot hit aces like in tennis. The ball must be played back by the opponents and bounce on both sides of the net before the point is live. So no-serve and volleying is allowed. 

Pickleball is also primarily a doubles sport, so it promotes teamwork and friendliness. 

This also adds to the social element of pickleball, which gives it the perception of being a more friendly and less intense or competitive sport than tennis, for example.

Similarities between Pickleball and Tennis

There are a few key similarities between pickleball and tennis that stand avid tennis players in good stead for picking up the up-and-coming sport. 

First of all, both are racket sports. This may be a straightforward point, but it shouldn’t be underestimated how much of an advantage this gives tennis players compared to those who have never played racket sports before. 

Tennis is played with a heavier ball, heavier rackets, and over a much longer and wider court than pickleball. So, for a tennis player transitioning to pickleball, the playing surface and speed of play will be much more manageable than what they are used to.

Tactical and Fast-paced

What’s more, the movement backward and forwards and side to side in tennis is very similar to the movement patterns in pickleball. Shots on the pickleball court are generally played below waist height, with most shots being played around the knee. 

This is because the hollow wiffle ball that is used in pickleball does not bounce particularly high, especially when compared to traditional tennis. 

Whilst there are no significant overhead shots or movements in pickleball. There are a lot of touch shots and angles used to outsmart opponents as opposed to hitting aces. 

Finally, pickleball and tennis share the fact that they are very tactical games. 

There are far more demands on the body in tennis than pickleball. However, the tactics of trying to make your opponent miss, playing percentages, and trying to move opponents around the court are similar in both tennis and pickleball. 

All of these factors mean that tennis players have a distinct advantage before they even pick up a pickleball bat, especially compared to those who haven’t really played racket sports before.

Professional Tennis Players Playing Pickleball

As pickleball has grown as a sport, more and more retiring professional tennis players have been attracted to televised events on the smaller court. 

Professional tennis players who have made the move to pickleball include:

• Andy Roddick
• Maria Sharapova
• Steffi Graf
• Andre Agassi
• John McEnroe
• Sam Querrey
• Jack Sock
• Michael Chang
• John Isner. 

As pickleball is becoming more popular in mainstream media, the number of big tournaments with large winner’s cheques is also rising. 

The biggest pickleball and tennis crossover tournament was held in April 2023 and saw some tennis legends like John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and Maria Sharapova face off for a $1 Million prize. 

This has created a lot of buzz around pickleball, and seen many more sports fans take it more seriously. There will also be a second of these pickleball grand slams in early 2024, which is sure to create more hype around the sport. 

Clearly, professional tennis players who have played at the highest level of the sport have an advantage even over a reasonably good pickleball player, due to their physical conditioning and advanced hand-eye coordination. 

However, if you are a tennis player looking to make the switch, you should be encouraged by the number of tennis legends who are picking up the sport and clearly enjoying it.

Should You Try Pickleball?

Pickleball is a unique sport that is very tactical but has lower physical and technical barriers to entry than some more popular racket sports, such as tennis, badminton, or squash. 

If you are a complete novice and are deciding whether to start playing pickleball or tennis, it is worth noting that pickleball will be much easier to become proficient at than tennis. 

This is, of course, due to the smaller court size, lightweight equipment, less complicated scoring system, and lower costs associated with playing pickleball regularly. 

Unfortunately, there are many tennis players who cannot play their favorite sport as often as they would like.

This can be due to injury, poor weather conditions, lack of access to courts, or playing partners. Here, pickleball can offer an accessible solution that ticks a lot of boxes for tennis fans, without as much of the demands on time, money, or the body as the more traditional sport. 

Therefore, if you are a tennis player who is considering picking up a pickleball bat for the first time, you could be better at the game than you think. As mentioned above, there are a number of reasons why tennis players will have a natural advantage on the pickleball court. 

Of course, there are a few differences in the rules between pickleball and tennis, such as not being able to volley in the ‘kitchen’ and the serve not being hit over the arm.

There is also much less spin involved in pickleball compared with tennis, due to the differences in rackets (or bats) and balls used. 

But with that being said, tennis players should definitely give pickleball a go, especially if they are looking to try something new, or want to transition to a sport that is more social and places less strain on the joints.

Ready to Give Pickleball a Try?

Overall, pickleball is a sport that has really started to boom across the globe in recent years, especially in the U.S.

The rise of pickleball comes down to a range of factors, such as the ability for it to be played in parks, inexpensive equipment, low impact on the body, and a lower learning curve compared with other racket sports. 

Tennis players will have a natural advantage on the pickleball court, as they are already used to the tactical and mental side of the game, hand-eye coordination, movement patterns, and technique involved. 

Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for tennis players to give pickleball a try, especially if they are looking to take up an alternative racket sport they can play with more longevity and a lower risk of injury. 

Pickleball is a fun, social, and accessible sport that more tennis players should add to their weekly routine. 

If you enjoyed this article and are interested in more free tennis-related content, check out these articles below: 

• Tennis Court Dimensions
• Pickleball Court Dimensions
• Tennis Court Zones
• Playing Cross Court In Tennis
• Clay Court Tennis: 6 Strategies to Win on Clay.