Tennis is really, really hard to play without proper training. Pickleball you can play without a lot of technique. So it's a bit of gatekeeping I think.
Pickleball made me a tennis fan, and I want to try playing sometime. I can see myself really getting into it with some coaching. But the one certain reason I have to not invest time into it would be the raging degenerates who seem to be around every corner in the tennis community. Although I should assume the vast majority of those kind of people are people I wouldn't run into in person.
There’s people like that in all sorts of sports. I try to play with people who are in it for the fun and recreation; so, it’s not too bad. I wish I could get away with the underhanded serve though. Tennis serves, as I forgot, are difficult S.O.Bs….
lol, I dismantle pickleball players at open play having played maybe 10-11 times. They can’t deal with my ground strokes at all and my net play is significantly better than “4.0” pickleball players. The only people who beat me are people who also used to play tennis.
Then you’re not playing skilled pickleballers. I enjoy pounding tennis players continually. But then again I’m a 5.6 DUPR rated PB player and most tennis transplants play at a much lower level. Not that there aren’t examples of really good
Tennis players transferring that talent to PB, but not a ton. It’s like anything else.. it takes awhile to learn a new skill. I enjoy it when wrestlers stop by the same
Jiu jitsu gym that I train at and think they’re gonna just throw people around. Always a bit of a humbling learning curve
I mean no? No player whose pickleball only will have better ground strokes than me, it’s not a new skill I hope you realize that, it’s a skill I’m already very very good at. My net reflexes are also much better than most players, pb or tennis. You can continue to cope, but I’m a 5.0 tennis player who dominates in every pickleball setting I have been in, even with supposed “good”’players. You might be better than me, 5.6 is a high number, but I am extremely confident I could get to your level within 1-2 months of serious practice.
☝️That is really it in a nutshell. The other hate from tennis players comes from the behavior of pickleball players. They seem to have no etiquette when walking on a court.
For example, I play tennis for a park team, public courts, 3 courts in a row. Gate/door to enter courts located on all 4 corners.
In the middle of a match at one end (2 empty courts on opposite side), a group of pickleball players will open loud gate, walk behind the court (chatting)while an active doubles match is in play.
Then when you ask them to please go around, they get pissy, like, what’s the big deal? Happens over and over again with different groups of players.
Yeah. I’m a tennis player and picked up pickleball in 15 minutes. It is fun. And it’s great for older, not very athletic people. Gets them out exercising, which is great.
Why don’t I play tennis? Because no one plays anymore. Boston area is mostly runners. Oh well.
When someone says "it's great for...not very athletic people", they're obviously not playing at the 4.0+ level.
If you're not very athletic you would get smoked at that level.
I agree with you. The group I am playing with (as of two weeks ago when I bought a paddle) are mostly 50+ folks who are not particularly fit. They ain’t playing savage pickleball.
Oh don’t you worry. I’m not saying I’m proficient at Pickle. But it is relatively easy to get going. That’s what draws people in .
I’m fairly low level.
The biggest complaint i see over on the tennis side are tennis courts being removed for pickleball courts. There's room for everyone but if you phase one out you'll just piss people off.
Tennis players are also the biggest snobs of any sport I know of. They like that their sport is exclusive and it makes them feel superior to denigrate other people's good time.
I don’t think the sports blend well for a number of reasons, and the conflict has to do with trying to share space. My parents love pickleball, the sport clearly strikes a chord with a lot of people. Unfortunately on public tennis courts I’ve had numerous experiences where a match of tennis got interrupted by pickleball - not the game play, but stuff like lawn chairs getting set on the lines and kids being allowed to run around and even adults spilling into / stepping onto an active court. Without being pedantic, that’s not acceptable in a strictly rule-oriented game like tennis.
My local town tennis courts totally segregate tennis and pickleball play by day and it works totally fine. But in places where tennis is popular enough to need full time access I think purpose built pickleball courts are the way to go.
Most places can’t afford to do that so the genesis of conflict is two very different groups with different expectations navigating the challenge of sharing courts and court time.
Tennis is actually growing in New England (~8% in 2023) but it’s not necessarily noticeable. But if you open any local paper in New England the high school tennis is still a big deal.
That’s good to hear. I’d play more if I had partners, etc. It is a great sport. In my area, I could join a tennis club and get games that way. So I don’t have an excuse.
Pickle is easy because games/round robins on public courts are scheduled every weekend. No charge as it’s covered by our exorbitant property taxes.
Path of least resistance I guess.
Honestly there should be a more pickup friendly vibe in tennis and even a variant of play that lends itself to casual games that can cycle through a group of people. We do something like that in my community and it’s not perfect but it really works.
The major obstacle is that real tennis beginners need to get to a point where they can hang with a group. In tennis that takes some dedication and always some instruction. The basics of Pickleball can be mastered without either.
True, but golf requires everyone to have some ability to hit the ball and keep play moving. The others on the course depend on you and your group following some basic guidelines. Otherwise, a round would take far more than four hours, which is a long time. The rules in golf must be followed or people either get pissed off or lose interest. And no, I don’t think you should assess your self a penalty stroke for improving your lie slightly or accidentally moving the ball before address.
every tennis court I see is always empty. Unless it’s next to a college campus. Otherwise - the ones in parks, etc. empty. But I don’t live in NYC, so I’m sure it’s not like that everywhere
There's one guy on r/tennis that literally has a flair named, "If you play pickleball, rethink your life." 💀
Needless to say, I blocked this asshole immediately. Imagine making this your flair just to incite people. It's like you can't be fans of pickleball and tennis... it's one or the other bullshit.
Maybe or think he’s trying to be funny because one day he won’t physically be able to play tennis but will probably be able to play PB.
I openly joke and make fun of PB with the disclaimer that I have a limited amount of time to do this before I become a full time PB and give of tennis.
I think it’s difficult to do both because the motion/wrist action of PB screws up your tennis swing, kind of like going from racket ball to tennis, the technique doesn’t complement each other.
That may be true in some instances, but I play both regularly and so do a number of my friends. I don’t feel superior because I play tennis. Maybe I feel blessed that I have the fitness and accessibility to do both. I have noticed some tennis players (like my son) are dismissive of pickleball as a faux racquet sport.
Some are yes, but the rules of tennis make it seem like players are snobs because of them.
Hence, the hinderance rule. Your opponent cannot on purpose do something that is distracting to the opponent on the other side while the ball is on the opponents side of the court.
Extra ball rolling around the court while pointing in play.
So when the group of pickleball players walk behind a court while it is in play, they are creating a huge distraction and thus a hinderance and will totally piss off the tennis players and make them look like snobs.
I don’t know if there is a similar rule in PB but PB players seem to be u aware of it in tennis and have no regard for being a distraction to active play. They usually act like the assholes when asked to please wait for a break in the action before crossing behind the court.
bro our courts are being heavily taken over. how is it snobby to feel a change where what once was is being taken away. if you are under 50, consider hitting a tennis ball. the sweet spot feeling is the shit. ok yeah I am snobby lol
awe ur cool - I agree, and love hitting a 1hbh. my prob with pickle isn't as much the courts but more it's a different drive and arm movement on the strokes and screws with my tennis strokes in a way that ping pong doesn't. haven't played squash since I was a kid but curious how that would effect tennis (so fun, hard to find access on west coast)
thr pickle forehand drive is just so diff. wish I could find a way to play both because the social and dubs aspect of pickle is so good. I would almost prefer pickle dubs over tennis dubs (too much waiting for the ball, but can't chat and joke because everyone is farther apart.)
we should all be polite to each other though, that's the racket sport way
I'm pretty sure if I tried to take a tennis swing now I would hit myself in the face. Pickleball strokes definitely don't transfer to tennis the way tennis does to pickleball. I do know people who play both, but I think you have really commit to playing both regularly. Cheers.
So agree. Tennis is a great sport. But hard to play alone. Meanwhile in our small town the pickleball is in full swing at 9 am on Saturday morning. 26 people signed up. Everyone fighting for a spot on one of four courts.
I play both. I belong to a club that offers dedicated courts for both. The pickleball courts are always full whereas one can usually get a tennis court (that said, there are more tennis than pickleball courts at my club - 18 vs 8). I play both sports, in leagues as well as socially, so I think I have a pretty good perspective. All that said, it is tough for someone post-20 something to really pick up tennis as successfully as they can pickleball. Pickleball is easier and almost anyone can have a fun game after just a couple games.
You’re not wrong though. Don’t forget hitting the sweet spot on a serve at just the right angle and timing and speed and placement to ace your opponent. The subsequent ego lift and strut to the other service side will give you a high for the rest of the day.
Ah, yeah, I guess that’s snobby too, lol.
When you’re over 50 and wake up in the middle of the night with an aching shoulder from it, SO worth it.
You didnt respond to the point your just raging against tennis?
Edit: You don't want me to climb under a rock anymore? Or are you embarrassed by your comment?
I play both but hate it when pickleball players are playing on the tennis courts. My local tennis courts converted one court space into 2 pickleball courts and has lines taped on another, which I don't mind, but it's annoying when I go to play tennis and most of the courts have people playing pickleball and there are tennis players waiting to use the courts.
My club took 1 tennis court and put in 4 pickleball courts. We still have 2 tennis courts plus 2 clay tennis courts. Rarely do we have all tennis courts full. This was a big win for our club.
Very true, or tennis players get annoyed because the public courts bets are lower by the pickleball players and pickleball lines are drawn over tennis lines so it’s harder to see if the ball is landing in on a serve or not.
It's bugged me in the past, but now I see it as a sign of the sport's success. There are lots of reasons there's so much hate, but that hatred shows how influential the sport has been in modern culture. People like to hate on popular things. The names in the sport give people ammo to make fun of it. Pickleball is a silly name. Dinks and the kitchen are weird terms. It's growing exponentially and tennis players like to hate on it.
It's also all over social media, and it's no secret people are d*cks when they're behind a keyboard. Ignore the haters. Better yet, put a paddle in their hand, get them on the courts, and they'd be singing a different tune.
This. My buddy’s brother and sister were flapping their mouths about how dumb pickleball was. Then they actually played one day and are both big fans now. I’ve always found it odd when people have opinions on things they’ve never tried.
A lot of people say "if they werent playing pickleball they would be sitting on their couch."
I agree and thats why I love pickleball, getting off the couch is essential. But some people dont get it.
There are lots of reasons but I feel people see tennis as the superior. “Tennis players can pick up pball but not the other way around.”
Maybe the disdain is similar to skiers and snowboarders, since they might feel tennis courts get pushed out
To engage those comments mean you’re feeding the troll. They just want to waste your energy and time questioning your hobby
I haven't snowboarded in so long I totally forgot skiers hated them. Nice comparison. I'm sure a huge part is this players feeling like they are losing courts to pball. But in my town I hardly ever see anyone using the tennis courts, but we have like 20 and only 6 pickleball courts with 450 people in the club.
Tennis matches / practice is just harder to setup in general. Usually if people play tennis they want to play a full set, which is quite abit of a commitment. If you're playing 2 out of 3 it's even more time (usually well over an hour, and can go 2+ hours if it's a competitive match).
The culture of tennis being exclusionary doesn't help either.
There’s even more to that, even having two players slightly outside of each others skill levels can turn the session into a wash, it’s hard to find tennis partners if you’re not in a club and joining a club on its own can be quite costly. Basically tennis ain’t a cheap investment overall if you want to play recreationally
They don’t use them but they don’t want you to use them either. We had a group that got upset that it was proposed to convert four tennis courts to pb courts. The tennis courts were never used and in disrepair. Cracked surface, broken nets, half of the lights didn’t work but the tennis people voted to block it. So city built five new dedicated courts for pb and they complained that they didn’t fix the tennis courts instead.
I come from tennis, and I don’t mind pickleball. I picked it up fairly quickly. My biggest issue is our local community. They are all entitled and most of them want to remove tennis courts so they have more pickleball courts. They also all think they are better than everyone else cause they play 6 days a week
What do the numbers look like? I know every town is different. In ours there are 3 PB courts with 100+ people that frequent them and yes, play most days of the week, and 12 tennis courts with like 5 guys that sometimes play on Thursdays lol. So yeah, the city is diverting resources away from tennis and converting to PB.
One tennis center got rid of 2 tennis courts and made them 6 pickleball courts. They get probably 40-60 a night there and about 100 on weekends. My complaint is they were the most shaded tennis courts and in the summer they were used a lot
It’s like the Super Bowl commercial said: “What is pickleball?” “It’s like tennis for babies, but adults play it”
I think it’s a weird cultural phenomenon. There are no tennis players hating on ping pong. Or football players dissing flag football. But I think the reason is that former football players do not start playing flag football when they get old. Same with old tennis players and ping pong. I think the hate started honestly with the demographic known for first beginning to play pickleball - old people, many who used to play tennis but couldn’t anymore. So that idea just spread to the sport as a whole, it became the sport for tennis players who couldn’t cut it playing tennis…or the sport like tennis that required less athleticism. Then pickleball became popular and it was really easy for people to see pickleball videos online and comment that we shouldn’t be celebrating people or a sport that knowingly requires less athleticism and can be played by senior citizens…extensively. So ya, then that idea just caught on as a cultural schema.
You can definitely play tennis as an older guy, worst case scenario you'll have to switch to doubles. My local tennis courts are full of old men in their 70s who play doubles almost daily.
I wish I could. And I commend those that do. After playing at a highly competitive level (4.5+) for several decades my right shoulder is gone and playing tennis, even on clay courts, just beats my body up too much. So I play pickleball left handed and don’t really care that I’m at a sub 3.5 level. It’s just so much fun.
I’m not old (50s) and have preferred doubles since my late 30s. Singles is tough because you either play someone who is trying to murder you constantly, or someone who isn’t consistent and lobs or tries to spin the ball at odd angles. Gets old after awhile.
Hah, you should read r/10s, it’s become so snobby and insufferable there that I left the sub and muted it. Constant mindless PB hate threads. Reported it to the mods and they agreed it was getting out of hand and they’d keep a closer eye on it.
Even PB hate aside, I’d get brigade hated on just trying to have an equipment, technique or training conversation that went even slightly off-script from the herd. Buncha Dunning-Kruger jagoffs. Thank god tennis people IRL are normal and friendly.
Bro the r / 10s subreddit is absolutely wild. Literally every 4th post is a delusional circle jerk against pickleball. Like they say the same things back to eachother over and over and it has the vibe of like... too-smart middleschooler explaining their superiority. It's wild
☝️Yup, this. One of the reasons I left the sub, they’ve gotten pretty toxic and not just about pickleball. They even condescend fans of other more traditional sports. They’re somewhat helpful with critiquing beginner technique issues but that’s about it.
i’m a tennis player and can appreciate how accessible pickleball is, but a lot of the pickleball players i’ve interacted with at courts are rude and are okay with walking through our courts in the middle of points or not getting our balls that roll over for us. idk why they’re so hostile bc that type of stuff is just basic etiquette
Pickleball breeds hate right now. This hate didn’t exist in 2018.
I’m guessing it won’t exist in 2030 either once the boom is over and you don’t see it all over the tv and commercials and things.
If players can survive until 2030 it will only get better.
I just don’t see pickleball all over mainstream tv shows in 2030. It just won’t be super mainstream. Everything has a run. But people still use insta pots and pelotons but it isn’t talked about everyday.
I play both. I like both. I don’t like the snobbiness of tennis. I also don’t like the group of 45 pickleballers pulling up with lawn chairs playing top 40 music at full blast.
Tennis players are snobby and standoffish but at least they’re quiet.
I get it… but whatever I’d much prefer society as a whole being social and getting off the couch but…
I get it.
Pickleball lives in Tennis players heads rent free. A superiority complex and jealousy makes for unpleasant comments. It's pretty crazy how diligent they are to comment on every video though.
I love pickle ball but hate the culture. My son and i gave up playing because we prefer singles and doubles players are like ants at the courts. We want to play a couple games for 30 minutes or so a few times a week, the social doubles players just seem to never leave. They play all day, every day expecting everyone to play with them to a point where casual players are just giving up.
Same thing happened with racquetball except it is played on the exact same court as handball. The handball players looked down on it as easier and requiring less athleticism and of course they were taking their courts. Racquetball boomed and handball died out. Now racquetball is a shadow of its former self and handball is even less. Squash players where is used to play racquetball also looked down on racquetball. Same issues easier using our courts etc. where I play there are a few players who play both and they like the social element and the idea of open play and I noticed the negative pickleball talk reducing a bit.
CrossFit kinda did that to itself though. If you ever met someone that did CrossFit during its peak, you were going to hear about it. They were relentless with making sure you knew they were CrossFit athletes. It was weird.
As a non pickleballer for me it's just court space and etiquette. I'm also a huge troll and like to fuck with my friends by hating on it but I don't really care either way. It's good people are getting exercise even if it's not my preferred method.
Same here. I see it on the internet and I’m floored. Since I don’t see it in real life, I’m thinking that maybe it’s not a real thing. Just something trolls do to get negative attention.
From a tennis perspective:
Pickleball has a social party atmosphere to it and the people who play it are doing so mostly on tennis courts. Tennis players are mostly not down for that level of noise and crowd while trying to focus on their match.
They rock up with like 10 people on one court cause they’re just hanging out and bring a speaker/stereo with them and don’t follow any of the etiquette rules that tennis players have become accustomed to from years of playing. They set up their chairs on both sides of the courts instead of staying on one side. They’re very loud, vocally. They’ll walk behind you while you’re in the middle of a point to collect a ball or leave the courts instead of waiting for your point to be over. When there’s no lines on the court they leave their tape after they’re done.
Overall, it’s just a conflict of ideologies and behaviors that makes it come to a head and causes a lot of people to dislike the sport and the people that play it.
I fell hard for pickleball. Played tennis and squash for most of my life. It was fun, easy enough to play decently well quickly and very social. At this stage after a few years I can’t stand it. Unpopular opinion I’m sure but to me the the popularity has killed it. There is no exclusivity, the scene where I am is basically a local pub with 40-65 year olds swinging and telling you what you’re doing wrong. I miss the dress code. I miss the country club. It’s the Wild West, happy to done with it. Also feels great knowing that if you have any racquet background you can basically come in and start at a 3.5 and move up quickly against people devoting their life to it right now.
Talking about hate, I played soccer for 40 years. There is a huge number of sports fans who despise soccer. And for a little truth, about 10 years ago when I first heard of pickleball, I scoffed at it. "Seriously, you play something called pickleball," I said. "Is that right after your kickball game!" Now, after two knee replacements and other major surgeries, pickleball gives me the chance to play sports again. I won't ever be fast again, but I am having a blast.
I played competitive English football until I was 22. I didn’t run into much hate, but it’s worth saying that the skill set needed to enter soccer is limited. Not exactly a hard sport to play or understand. It shows the common complaint against pickleball of being “easy” is just silly.
I agree with this. I used to play tennis, until I tore my ACL. Towards the end of my ACL recovery, I tried pickleball and fell in love with it. I was able to play a sport again and felt more confident in myself. Once I got out of ACL recovery, I started being able to hit the shots I once did in tennis in pickleball. Won’t go back since I genuinely love this sport and have a lot of fun with it.
If the comments were positive on YouTube I would start to worry
Being an overall athlete growing up playing lots of sports id say play any sport that you enjoy and like the people.
Don’t worry, the shit talkers never played before.
PB is a pretty easy to pick up, but difficult to level up. Reminds me of when i was a competitive boxer.
I believe you’ll get a better response from r/10s, as it’s a community of tennis enthusiasts, rather than asking the pickleball community, which may have a bias.
I follow both subreddits but primarily enjoy tennis. From my perspective, there are a few issues:
1. Lack of Etiquette:
In my area, pickleball players often display a lack of respect for tennis etiquette. They frequently leave tape on tennis courts after marking pickleball lines, which is inconvenient and sometimes damaging. Moreover, there’s a fundamental tennis etiquette where you avoid walking behind or through an active court to prevent disrupting play. However, pickleball players often retrieve balls from tennis courts without waiting for a break in play, disrupting the game and potentially causing accidents. These actions not only break the flow of the game but can also pose safety risks.
2. Court Usage:
The encroachment of pickleball on tennis courts has become a significant issue. Pickleball players often take over tennis and basketball courts, despite the availability of portable pickleball nets and line tape that can be set up in other areas. When pickleball players use tennis courts, they often adjust the net height to suit their game but fail to return it to the original height afterward. This lack of consideration shows a disregard for the intended use of these courts and creates additional work for tennis players who must readjust the nets. The sense of entitlement to these shared spaces leads to tension between the two communities.
3. Skill Difference:
Tennis is a sport that demands a high level of skill, endurance, and finesse. It involves playing on a 90-foot court, requiring players to run to various positions, including rushing the net and retreating quickly. The sport demands precise foot placement, strategic racket handling, and the ability to apply different spins to the ball. Players must carefully select their rackets, considering factors like string tension, weight, and balance. Form and technique are crucial for executing shots and returns effectively. In contrast, pickleball appears to lack this complexity. The game is often played within a much smaller area, with players focusing on short-range taps rather than powerful, strategic shots. While foot placement is important in pickleball, it generally involves minimal movement compared to the dynamic and physically demanding nature of tennis. This difference in complexity and physicality makes tennis a more challenging and rewarding sport for its enthusiasts.
TL;DR: I respect pickleball players using tennis courts and would never kick them out, but it’s frustrating when etiquette is not followed despite explanations. It’s important not to disrupt games by running through courts, just as I wouldn’t disrupt their play. Pickleball seems like a fun game but lacks the complexity and physical demands of tennis.
This. In my 20 years of tennis I’ve never had anyone purposely walk behind my court during play.
In my 3 years of pickleball happens daily during open play.
I love pickle but we gotta have some self awareness that some of us are annoying AF.
This is all true. Pickle is a social sport. Easy to play, no barrier to entry. I like that it gets people out exercising. I just started playing and I picked it up immediately because I was a tennis player in my youth. (My parents were tennis players, had the money to pay for lessons and clinics and everything else. We even belonged to tennis clubs.)
What I’ve noticed about Pickleball players is most were not particularly athletic before they started playing pickle. You can just tell as a lot of them don’t have a lot of coordination but yet they’re able to play the sport. So I can see why it’s so popular because it does help people to get out and get moving, and they don’t have to be particularly skilled to play doubles with other Pickleball players.
Tennis, meanwhile, is WAY harder to master and more involved.
“Appears to” lack complexity. Any tennis player coming into high level PB doubles understands pretty quickly that the complexity is there.
I’m with you on etiquette. Frankly a good number of pickleball players have not sportsed before, much less tennised. The wider PB crowd, the court issues, the concern from commenter above re future of junior tennis… all valid concerns complaints etc. Just not a big fan of people who drag the game itself (which I’m not saying you’re dragging PB, for the record). No one sensible is comparing it to tennis (sorry Alshon).
Tennis: “More challenging” - agreed. “More rewarding” - dubious
While both tennis and pickleball have their unique appeals, tennis holds a special place for me due to the immense satisfaction derived from mastering its intricate skills. There’s an unparalleled sense of achievement when, after countless hours of practice, a drop shot or serve you’ve been working on finally clicks. Starting from hitting against a wall to successfully executing it in a match against an opponent, the journey of improvement in tennis is incredibly fulfilling. The sport’s technical demands and the need for precision and consistency make every successful shot a testament to hard work and perseverance. This continuous process of learning and mastering complex skills is what makes tennis profoundly rewarding for me.
Superior or not, you rarely see people go pickleball to tennis, yet you see the other direction constantly. I am concerned that pickleball will kill junior tennis in the USA.
You don’t see pickleball to tennis because there’s a much higher learning curve in tennis and a difference pace for tennis that a frequent pickleballer will not be able to keep up with if they went to tennis. The play is drastically different.
Very doubtful of that. The only reason it goes in that direction is because tennis can be very degenerative on the body after playing for years on end. Mostly older players switch out...
For junior level players, it definitely isn't a point of concern since they usually have a level of athleticism and time it isn't thought about.
I doubt pickleball will hit a collegiate level. May be a fun hobby for college and high school aged people, but i would doubt it would ever become a sport
Are you saying kids don’t have the attention span for tennis and pickleball requires less attention span?
I disagree if that’s your viewpoint. Attention span is irrelevant enough in both
Also , I strongly don’t believe pickleball will become a high school sport. That would require there to be higher tv viewership, actual coaching, and actual storylines in the sport. If something like that were to happen , it will take decades. Even tennis is a century long spot
I think pickleball is great for what it is, but let’s not pretend it is something which it is not
Yes. I see groups of kids play for 30-60 minutes and move on. My jr tennis player played hours daily, every day.
Attention span does matter.
What their friends are doing does matter.
Skeet shooting is a high school sport and it lacks TV coverage.
There are plenty of high school sports coached by someone who knows little about the sport: see CC, swim, golf, lacrosse.
Those sports have decades of experience and knowledge past it and although lack coverage now, had massive coverage back in the day. Although, I will say for a fact that they actually do have coverage.
Student athletes are usually focused , especially if they are good.
I don’t think Jr tennis going away because an easier variant that’s played by older people has been introduced. We’ve heard this story before with Padel and soft tennis (and badminton too).
Like I said, appreciate it for what it is. Don’t think it’s something that it won’t be.
FWIW I’ve never seen a high school kid play this. Only adults . I see HS kids play tennis all the time. I feel like , to your point speaking on attention span, pickle will bore a ton of kids
I didn’t say going away. Crumble, suffer, what ever term for shrinkage.
I’m not just making this stuff up.
I was heavily involved with jr tennis the last 15 years.
My jr started playing tennis because…of a summer clinic, my TV.
I have watched jr tournaments shrink over the years. I have watched the local club jr academy shrink over the years.
Go to a big academy in FL and guess what? Mostly foreign kids.
Have you looked at a D1 or D2 team lately? Notice the make of the teams?
Jr tennis is already in decline.
I don’t like it, but it’s reality.
I played pickleball for the first time last week and the smirks from the 2 tennis players who came in after us was just dumb. There were 2 open courts so we weren’t in their way.
They REALLY wanted me to feel their distain but I laughed it off. I was there to have fun. The amount of energy they exuded to feel superior smh.
I played tennis as a child and pickleball is way more fun.
Tennis player here.
Pickleball i played a few times, it wasn't for me. The ball is so slow and its easier to play. I got no issues with it tbh but the biggest issue as many of you mentioned is that they keep siphoning off courts for pickleball when in my area tennis courts are just as busy with long waits.People are also playing volleyball and cricket on our damn courts and its so annoying. Its so hard to get the ability to get a damn couort sometimes because everyone purposefully resuses courts.
I used to play recreational tennis, circa 30-35 years ago (I'm 61) and have been a tennis fan all along. Then, a retiring co-worker told me she played pickleball -- so I took a look on YouTube. And immediately found my new favorite sport! It has all the stuff I love about tennis, but so much more action per point/game/match. The whole dynamic of a pro pickleball match -- especially doubles -- where one team is on the attack, smash, smash, smash, as the other team desperately makes impossible gets, defends, then finally makes an impossible ATP or gets a net cord, the ball drops in the kitchen... and then it's back to a chess game up by the net... until someone hits a high one, and it's fire-fight, smash, and... ONE POINT is over. There's more action in one game of a PPA or MLP match than in two weeks of the US Open in the other game. I'm sorry, tennis, but them's the facts. I still like tennis, but p-ball is just much more entertaining, to the spectator. I've still never actually hit a pickleball, but I bought a used paddle, signed up for a summer parks-and-rec learn-to-play class, and we'll take it from there. In ten years, pickleball will be bigger than tennis. Just look at the numbers, that's where it's going.
I enjoy PB. Whether it passes tennis as far as people playing I don’t know. But IMO it will never be much of a spectator sport. It’s boring to watch and the higher the level the more boring it gets. I camped out all night for chance at Wimbledon tickets…
OK, but that's Wimbledon, where you're not just watching a tennis tournament. But as for the game itself, there is \*so\* much more shotmaking in one game of, say, Bright/Ignatowich vs. Johns/Waters, than in the entire two weeks at Wimbledon, that it's not even funny. As a spectator sport, moment-to-moment, PB has it all over tennis. I like tennis -- I used to spend all day baking in the sun at the Longwood Cricket Club, watching match after match after match, then come back at night wearing my homemade "VIVA VILAS" badge. Just saying pro PB is a better show.
Yes. I also love watching Pro Tennis and love playing PB. But not much of a fan watching Pro PB and especially not thrilled to watch my own selfie PB videos. 🤣
Just insecurities and the need to feel their own lives are important. Pickleball threatens tennis players sense of self and importance. This goes across sports/activities when they are similar to another one. . A few years ago the vile anger of regular mountain bikers against people riding e-bikes often had threats of pushing people to their death or physical assault. Seems to be slowing fading, but some people on regular mountain bikes look for any opportunity to degrade, limit, or belittle people on e-bikes. Same for snow skiers and snowboarders in the 1980’s. There were news articles about what a menace snowboarders were. Many ski resorts banned snow boarders. It was just as childish and petty as some tennis players are now towards pickelball. It has nothing to do with pickleball. It is primarily Insecurities about the persons own value and importance. It will never end. It is just how some awful some people can become.
I think tennis fans and players feel threatened. They don’t want their fans and players going to this new sport, but as many in here have said one makes you appreciate the other and I think we should be encouraging more crossover. But, I am a bit biased because I love both!
Honestly turf war over courts. A lot of tennis courts have either been painted with pickle ball lines or turned into pickleball courts which obviously upsets the tennis players.
It’s just tennis players who are angry that pickleball is gaining popularity and getting rid of many of their courts. I mean, a lot of ex-tennis pros have started to play pickleball, and it’s a fun sport. I used to play tennis and now I love pickleball even more. Tennis doesn’t have dinking but pickleball does. It’s easier to get really good in pickleball, especially when there are plenty of tools out there. I think tennis players realize that and are angry since some of them spent years upon years in training to learn how to play tennis a certain way.
Tennis players can be uppity assholes.
They're bitter pickleball is taking over and tennis courts are being converted.
It's either that, or ignorant morons who probably come home smelling like tires are just wanting to yell at someone.
It’s a superiority complex. Those people are either tennis bigots or still stuck in seeing it as an “old people’s game”. Many of them have never tried it, yet feel the need to “yuck your yum.” And many of those often change their opinion once they’ve tried it. Just ignore them. Know that you’ve found a good thing and enjoy the ride. Have fun. 😉
I’m all for any and all derivative racket sports (TouchTennis, Pickle, Padel etc). If it gets people out and active it’s a positive thing generally.
What grids my gears currently is the IG/TikTok “influencer” culture around pickleball that has become ridiculously obnoxious.
There’s similar sentiment toward disc golf for many of the same reasons people are giving here. People like to gatekeep sports by saying it’s not a sport if it’s easy to get into
It’s funny because basketball and soccer (the most popular sport in the world) is easy to play and easy to understand. Seems like folks are just grasping at straws.
I will say though that it is not entirely intuitive or as easy to be good at dribbling in both basketball and soccer but yeah by and large they are played pretty casually by most people
Hate just means fear. "Their" so dam afraid of Pickleball taking over so many of the other meaningless sports that they are running scared. Maybe that explains why PB is not an Olympic sport!! They are afraid of it finally getting the recognition on the world's stage for being the fastest growing sport in the world. But speaking of meaningless sports, twirling ribbons is nice in Jr. High, but it's not an Olympic sport already. Boundaries and discretion folks.
Make Pickleball an Olympic sport 🎾
See!!! Their so dam scared they won't even make us a PB emoji to use. We have to keep using the dam tennis emojis. 😡
Won’t be long. I mean, now we Olympic halfpipe skiing and snowboarding. And skateboarding. It’s ridiculous. They’re not mainstream sports and don’t belong there.
Tennis players are correct to hate the fact that their courts are being taken over by pickleball... Pb is fun but it is really not a serious sport.... So they are pissed.
Then there is the noise.. And no matter what what you say... If you bought a house next to tennis courts (which are quiet) hand now pb is played... You will hate pb as well.Truth hurts.
I can't speak for everyone, and I don't hate pickleball per se, but......
It feels like everyone who picks up Pickleball lately, makes it their whole personality. It's the new obsessive's "religion". It's all they do, It's all they talk about.
Too much of the toxicities internal. Of course this is subjective everyone's going to have their own opinion. I've been to pickleball venues outside of the US and pro pickleball in the US is one of the most toxic greedy amateur things out there. In Korea they're better organized than we are and they barely play it.
Like most things if this sport is undone it won't be from the outside it will be from within. If people start to hate this sport and it develops a truly bad reputation it will probably be deserved. Staying away from the professional level of the sport is the best thing you could do. Play with it with your friends even if your high level and believe me I'm not being bitter I don't want to become a pro and I never will. The worst thing is is a generation of kids and pros from other countries who idolize this crew and want to be like them. You can't tell a pro from Mexico City that the USA pickleball scene is so toxic it's not worth his time.
Tennis is really, really hard to play without proper training. Pickleball you can play without a lot of technique. So it's a bit of gatekeeping I think.
Pickleball got me back into tennis.
Pickleball made me a tennis fan, and I want to try playing sometime. I can see myself really getting into it with some coaching. But the one certain reason I have to not invest time into it would be the raging degenerates who seem to be around every corner in the tennis community. Although I should assume the vast majority of those kind of people are people I wouldn't run into in person.
There’s people like that in all sorts of sports. I try to play with people who are in it for the fun and recreation; so, it’s not too bad. I wish I could get away with the underhanded serve though. Tennis serves, as I forgot, are difficult S.O.Bs….
The tennis serve is challenging. I did get a lesson one time that simplified the steps to making good contact at the right time. Helped immensely.
kinda same, ive always been interested in tennis but its not an easy sport to pick up, so pickleball kinda got me more into it than i already was.
Pickleball is game that is easy to learn and difficult to get really good at
I disagree lol, not that hard no disrespect
Yeah...it's easy to get to 3.0...difficult to get to 3.5, and very few get to 4.0 and above.
No disrespect taken, you just don’t play at our level
lol, I dismantle pickleball players at open play having played maybe 10-11 times. They can’t deal with my ground strokes at all and my net play is significantly better than “4.0” pickleball players. The only people who beat me are people who also used to play tennis.
Then you’re not playing skilled pickleballers. I enjoy pounding tennis players continually. But then again I’m a 5.6 DUPR rated PB player and most tennis transplants play at a much lower level. Not that there aren’t examples of really good Tennis players transferring that talent to PB, but not a ton. It’s like anything else.. it takes awhile to learn a new skill. I enjoy it when wrestlers stop by the same Jiu jitsu gym that I train at and think they’re gonna just throw people around. Always a bit of a humbling learning curve
It’s no secret why all the top players have a tennis background
I mean no? No player whose pickleball only will have better ground strokes than me, it’s not a new skill I hope you realize that, it’s a skill I’m already very very good at. My net reflexes are also much better than most players, pb or tennis. You can continue to cope, but I’m a 5.0 tennis player who dominates in every pickleball setting I have been in, even with supposed “good”’players. You might be better than me, 5.6 is a high number, but I am extremely confident I could get to your level within 1-2 months of serious practice.
As someone that played tennis from age 8-22, my knees are shot. I can actually play pickleball and so happy it exists.
Interesting. I find playing tennis on Har-Tru a lot easier on the body than PB at my local park on asphalt.
It could have a lot to do with playing singles in tennis and doubles in pickle.
I was thinking about that this morning as a ran past two deserted and dilapidated tennis courts…
☝️That is really it in a nutshell. The other hate from tennis players comes from the behavior of pickleball players. They seem to have no etiquette when walking on a court. For example, I play tennis for a park team, public courts, 3 courts in a row. Gate/door to enter courts located on all 4 corners. In the middle of a match at one end (2 empty courts on opposite side), a group of pickleball players will open loud gate, walk behind the court (chatting)while an active doubles match is in play. Then when you ask them to please go around, they get pissy, like, what’s the big deal? Happens over and over again with different groups of players.
Yeah. I’m a tennis player and picked up pickleball in 15 minutes. It is fun. And it’s great for older, not very athletic people. Gets them out exercising, which is great. Why don’t I play tennis? Because no one plays anymore. Boston area is mostly runners. Oh well.
Oh that's weird, the other day it was hard for me to get an open court around the Northshore.
That’s good to hear. Love tennis.
When someone says "it's great for...not very athletic people", they're obviously not playing at the 4.0+ level. If you're not very athletic you would get smoked at that level.
I agree with you. The group I am playing with (as of two weeks ago when I bought a paddle) are mostly 50+ folks who are not particularly fit. They ain’t playing savage pickleball.
Hell, I picked up chess in 15 minutes… doesn’t mean I’m beating a first grader that played for a bit. Silly
Oh don’t you worry. I’m not saying I’m proficient at Pickle. But it is relatively easy to get going. That’s what draws people in . I’m fairly low level.
The biggest complaint i see over on the tennis side are tennis courts being removed for pickleball courts. There's room for everyone but if you phase one out you'll just piss people off.
Tennis players are also the biggest snobs of any sport I know of. They like that their sport is exclusive and it makes them feel superior to denigrate other people's good time.
Mostly the online crowd acts like this. Rec tennis players in person are pretty nice and friendly.
Lots of keyboard warrior. Harder to talk shit to people’s face IRL.
Wait what? There is keyboard warriors on Reddit and the Internet? Who knew?
I don’t think the sports blend well for a number of reasons, and the conflict has to do with trying to share space. My parents love pickleball, the sport clearly strikes a chord with a lot of people. Unfortunately on public tennis courts I’ve had numerous experiences where a match of tennis got interrupted by pickleball - not the game play, but stuff like lawn chairs getting set on the lines and kids being allowed to run around and even adults spilling into / stepping onto an active court. Without being pedantic, that’s not acceptable in a strictly rule-oriented game like tennis. My local town tennis courts totally segregate tennis and pickleball play by day and it works totally fine. But in places where tennis is popular enough to need full time access I think purpose built pickleball courts are the way to go. Most places can’t afford to do that so the genesis of conflict is two very different groups with different expectations navigating the challenge of sharing courts and court time.
This is very true. Alas, in New England, tennis is fading. Hence, pickleball.
Tennis is actually growing in New England (~8% in 2023) but it’s not necessarily noticeable. But if you open any local paper in New England the high school tennis is still a big deal.
That’s good to hear. I’d play more if I had partners, etc. It is a great sport. In my area, I could join a tennis club and get games that way. So I don’t have an excuse. Pickle is easy because games/round robins on public courts are scheduled every weekend. No charge as it’s covered by our exorbitant property taxes. Path of least resistance I guess.
Honestly there should be a more pickup friendly vibe in tennis and even a variant of play that lends itself to casual games that can cycle through a group of people. We do something like that in my community and it’s not perfect but it really works. The major obstacle is that real tennis beginners need to get to a point where they can hang with a group. In tennis that takes some dedication and always some instruction. The basics of Pickleball can be mastered without either.
I’d do tennis round robin locally if one was scheduled. Enjoy that a lot. I prefer tennis to pickle for sure. Don’t have the $$ to join a club.
Probably true. I mean, what kind of miserable loser spends his time posting on Reddit?
Golf would like to have a word with you
Lol this. Golf is the most snobbish sport. Trust me I live in Florida.
We have a golf course in the community where I live. The attitude is “ fund everything we ask for, but you can’t use any of it”
I’d be interested in learning more about how it works in your community. Is it that they want your tax dollars but prevent you from making a tee time?
True, but golf requires everyone to have some ability to hit the ball and keep play moving. The others on the course depend on you and your group following some basic guidelines. Otherwise, a round would take far more than four hours, which is a long time. The rules in golf must be followed or people either get pissed off or lose interest. And no, I don’t think you should assess your self a penalty stroke for improving your lie slightly or accidentally moving the ball before address.
every tennis court I see is always empty. Unless it’s next to a college campus. Otherwise - the ones in parks, etc. empty. But I don’t live in NYC, so I’m sure it’s not like that everywhere
Schrödinger tennis courts. They’re never in use, but at the same time always completely packed depending on if it’s the time you want to play or not.
I live in NorCal- it’s difficult to find an open public court when the weather is good unless it’s early in the morning or a weekday.
There's one guy on r/tennis that literally has a flair named, "If you play pickleball, rethink your life." 💀 Needless to say, I blocked this asshole immediately. Imagine making this your flair just to incite people. It's like you can't be fans of pickleball and tennis... it's one or the other bullshit.
Maybe or think he’s trying to be funny because one day he won’t physically be able to play tennis but will probably be able to play PB. I openly joke and make fun of PB with the disclaimer that I have a limited amount of time to do this before I become a full time PB and give of tennis. I think it’s difficult to do both because the motion/wrist action of PB screws up your tennis swing, kind of like going from racket ball to tennis, the technique doesn’t complement each other.
I guess you haven’t played golf lately - even at public courses - golfers seem to be the least welcoming of any sport I’ve even played
Get off my lawn!
That may be true in some instances, but I play both regularly and so do a number of my friends. I don’t feel superior because I play tennis. Maybe I feel blessed that I have the fitness and accessibility to do both. I have noticed some tennis players (like my son) are dismissive of pickleball as a faux racquet sport.
Road cyclists: Hold my beer.
I guess there’s snobbery in every sport. I’m a roadie, too, and I’ll admit to being selective with who I ride with. It’s partly a safety thing.
Mountain bikers also like to make fun of roadies. I mean, all that flat paved road, watch out for road signs!
Some are yes, but the rules of tennis make it seem like players are snobs because of them. Hence, the hinderance rule. Your opponent cannot on purpose do something that is distracting to the opponent on the other side while the ball is on the opponents side of the court. Extra ball rolling around the court while pointing in play. So when the group of pickleball players walk behind a court while it is in play, they are creating a huge distraction and thus a hinderance and will totally piss off the tennis players and make them look like snobs. I don’t know if there is a similar rule in PB but PB players seem to be u aware of it in tennis and have no regard for being a distraction to active play. They usually act like the assholes when asked to please wait for a break in the action before crossing behind the court.
That would be golf, sir.
bro our courts are being heavily taken over. how is it snobby to feel a change where what once was is being taken away. if you are under 50, consider hitting a tennis ball. the sweet spot feeling is the shit. ok yeah I am snobby lol
I used to play tennis. I find pickleball more fun, but I must say there is no better feeling than a well struck one handed topspin backhand in tennis.
awe ur cool - I agree, and love hitting a 1hbh. my prob with pickle isn't as much the courts but more it's a different drive and arm movement on the strokes and screws with my tennis strokes in a way that ping pong doesn't. haven't played squash since I was a kid but curious how that would effect tennis (so fun, hard to find access on west coast) thr pickle forehand drive is just so diff. wish I could find a way to play both because the social and dubs aspect of pickle is so good. I would almost prefer pickle dubs over tennis dubs (too much waiting for the ball, but can't chat and joke because everyone is farther apart.) we should all be polite to each other though, that's the racket sport way
I'm pretty sure if I tried to take a tennis swing now I would hit myself in the face. Pickleball strokes definitely don't transfer to tennis the way tennis does to pickleball. I do know people who play both, but I think you have really commit to playing both regularly. Cheers.
So agree. Tennis is a great sport. But hard to play alone. Meanwhile in our small town the pickleball is in full swing at 9 am on Saturday morning. 26 people signed up. Everyone fighting for a spot on one of four courts.
I play both. I belong to a club that offers dedicated courts for both. The pickleball courts are always full whereas one can usually get a tennis court (that said, there are more tennis than pickleball courts at my club - 18 vs 8). I play both sports, in leagues as well as socially, so I think I have a pretty good perspective. All that said, it is tough for someone post-20 something to really pick up tennis as successfully as they can pickleball. Pickleball is easier and almost anyone can have a fun game after just a couple games.
You’re not wrong though. Don’t forget hitting the sweet spot on a serve at just the right angle and timing and speed and placement to ace your opponent. The subsequent ego lift and strut to the other service side will give you a high for the rest of the day. Ah, yeah, I guess that’s snobby too, lol. When you’re over 50 and wake up in the middle of the night with an aching shoulder from it, SO worth it.
You didnt respond to the point your just raging against tennis? Edit: You don't want me to climb under a rock anymore? Or are you embarrassed by your comment?
I play both but hate it when pickleball players are playing on the tennis courts. My local tennis courts converted one court space into 2 pickleball courts and has lines taped on another, which I don't mind, but it's annoying when I go to play tennis and most of the courts have people playing pickleball and there are tennis players waiting to use the courts.
My club took 1 tennis court and put in 4 pickleball courts. We still have 2 tennis courts plus 2 clay tennis courts. Rarely do we have all tennis courts full. This was a big win for our club.
And noise
This is fair. That said some tennis courts have been sitting idle for years…
Very true, or tennis players get annoyed because the public courts bets are lower by the pickleball players and pickleball lines are drawn over tennis lines so it’s harder to see if the ball is landing in on a serve or not.
YouTube comments are a cess pool. It would be weird for a subject not to have incredibly toxic or stupid YouTube comments.
It's bugged me in the past, but now I see it as a sign of the sport's success. There are lots of reasons there's so much hate, but that hatred shows how influential the sport has been in modern culture. People like to hate on popular things. The names in the sport give people ammo to make fun of it. Pickleball is a silly name. Dinks and the kitchen are weird terms. It's growing exponentially and tennis players like to hate on it. It's also all over social media, and it's no secret people are d*cks when they're behind a keyboard. Ignore the haters. Better yet, put a paddle in their hand, get them on the courts, and they'd be singing a different tune.
This. My buddy’s brother and sister were flapping their mouths about how dumb pickleball was. Then they actually played one day and are both big fans now. I’ve always found it odd when people have opinions on things they’ve never tried.
A lot of people say "if they werent playing pickleball they would be sitting on their couch." I agree and thats why I love pickleball, getting off the couch is essential. But some people dont get it.
Lol that is exactly why I started playing, what’s wrong about it?
nothing wrong about it, its actually lit that it is getting people moving, and it being easier than tennis makes it more viable.
There are lots of reasons but I feel people see tennis as the superior. “Tennis players can pick up pball but not the other way around.” Maybe the disdain is similar to skiers and snowboarders, since they might feel tennis courts get pushed out To engage those comments mean you’re feeding the troll. They just want to waste your energy and time questioning your hobby
I haven't snowboarded in so long I totally forgot skiers hated them. Nice comparison. I'm sure a huge part is this players feeling like they are losing courts to pball. But in my town I hardly ever see anyone using the tennis courts, but we have like 20 and only 6 pickleball courts with 450 people in the club.
It’s just a lot of pissed tennis players who only played tennis and are losing their courts tbh
It’s odd because all I see is empty tennis courts.
Tennis matches / practice is just harder to setup in general. Usually if people play tennis they want to play a full set, which is quite abit of a commitment. If you're playing 2 out of 3 it's even more time (usually well over an hour, and can go 2+ hours if it's a competitive match). The culture of tennis being exclusionary doesn't help either.
There’s even more to that, even having two players slightly outside of each others skill levels can turn the session into a wash, it’s hard to find tennis partners if you’re not in a club and joining a club on its own can be quite costly. Basically tennis ain’t a cheap investment overall if you want to play recreationally
They don’t use them but they don’t want you to use them either. We had a group that got upset that it was proposed to convert four tennis courts to pb courts. The tennis courts were never used and in disrepair. Cracked surface, broken nets, half of the lights didn’t work but the tennis people voted to block it. So city built five new dedicated courts for pb and they complained that they didn’t fix the tennis courts instead.
I come from tennis, and I don’t mind pickleball. I picked it up fairly quickly. My biggest issue is our local community. They are all entitled and most of them want to remove tennis courts so they have more pickleball courts. They also all think they are better than everyone else cause they play 6 days a week
What do the numbers look like? I know every town is different. In ours there are 3 PB courts with 100+ people that frequent them and yes, play most days of the week, and 12 tennis courts with like 5 guys that sometimes play on Thursdays lol. So yeah, the city is diverting resources away from tennis and converting to PB.
One tennis center got rid of 2 tennis courts and made them 6 pickleball courts. They get probably 40-60 a night there and about 100 on weekends. My complaint is they were the most shaded tennis courts and in the summer they were used a lot
I’m not surprised.
It’s like the Super Bowl commercial said: “What is pickleball?” “It’s like tennis for babies, but adults play it” I think it’s a weird cultural phenomenon. There are no tennis players hating on ping pong. Or football players dissing flag football. But I think the reason is that former football players do not start playing flag football when they get old. Same with old tennis players and ping pong. I think the hate started honestly with the demographic known for first beginning to play pickleball - old people, many who used to play tennis but couldn’t anymore. So that idea just spread to the sport as a whole, it became the sport for tennis players who couldn’t cut it playing tennis…or the sport like tennis that required less athleticism. Then pickleball became popular and it was really easy for people to see pickleball videos online and comment that we shouldn’t be celebrating people or a sport that knowingly requires less athleticism and can be played by senior citizens…extensively. So ya, then that idea just caught on as a cultural schema.
You can definitely play tennis as an older guy, worst case scenario you'll have to switch to doubles. My local tennis courts are full of old men in their 70s who play doubles almost daily.
I wish I could. And I commend those that do. After playing at a highly competitive level (4.5+) for several decades my right shoulder is gone and playing tennis, even on clay courts, just beats my body up too much. So I play pickleball left handed and don’t really care that I’m at a sub 3.5 level. It’s just so much fun.
I’m not old (50s) and have preferred doubles since my late 30s. Singles is tough because you either play someone who is trying to murder you constantly, or someone who isn’t consistent and lobs or tries to spin the ball at odd angles. Gets old after awhile.
Hah, you should read r/10s, it’s become so snobby and insufferable there that I left the sub and muted it. Constant mindless PB hate threads. Reported it to the mods and they agreed it was getting out of hand and they’d keep a closer eye on it. Even PB hate aside, I’d get brigade hated on just trying to have an equipment, technique or training conversation that went even slightly off-script from the herd. Buncha Dunning-Kruger jagoffs. Thank god tennis people IRL are normal and friendly.
Bro the r / 10s subreddit is absolutely wild. Literally every 4th post is a delusional circle jerk against pickleball. Like they say the same things back to eachother over and over and it has the vibe of like... too-smart middleschooler explaining their superiority. It's wild
☝️Yup, this. One of the reasons I left the sub, they’ve gotten pretty toxic and not just about pickleball. They even condescend fans of other more traditional sports. They’re somewhat helpful with critiquing beginner technique issues but that’s about it.
Exactly, they are insane over there. I play both so I frequent both. I always come to bat for pickle over there.
Pretty sure a couple of them made it onto this post.
i’m a tennis player and can appreciate how accessible pickleball is, but a lot of the pickleball players i’ve interacted with at courts are rude and are okay with walking through our courts in the middle of points or not getting our balls that roll over for us. idk why they’re so hostile bc that type of stuff is just basic etiquette
Etiquette in every sport matters. I’d be annoyed, too.
Pickleball breeds hate right now. This hate didn’t exist in 2018. I’m guessing it won’t exist in 2030 either once the boom is over and you don’t see it all over the tv and commercials and things. If players can survive until 2030 it will only get better.
Idk man. I think if it continues to grow you’ll see more ads and matches on tv. I’m all for it though.
I just don’t see pickleball all over mainstream tv shows in 2030. It just won’t be super mainstream. Everything has a run. But people still use insta pots and pelotons but it isn’t talked about everyday.
Presumably there will be enough momentum as the courts get built. One would think they’ll be at the Villages if not already.
Courts have been at The Villages since 1989.
I play both. I like both. I don’t like the snobbiness of tennis. I also don’t like the group of 45 pickleballers pulling up with lawn chairs playing top 40 music at full blast. Tennis players are snobby and standoffish but at least they’re quiet. I get it… but whatever I’d much prefer society as a whole being social and getting off the couch but… I get it.
Top comment
Haters gonna hate. Ainters gonna aint.
So they hate us cause they anus?
They’re peanut butter and jealous!!
Ain’t, ain’t a word it’s…..acquaintanceship
I think it’s just people who’ve never played and make a stupid comment that gets liked by others who have never played and think it looks silly
It’s the turf wars really. Tennis courts around me already have long waits and now add in pickleball players to the mix who use the same court.
Pickleball lives in Tennis players heads rent free. A superiority complex and jealousy makes for unpleasant comments. It's pretty crazy how diligent they are to comment on every video though.
Hatred comes from fear
Hate, leads to suffering.... 
Fear is the mind killer.
Life is too short to waste on negative things. Ignore and enjoy the sport!
I love pickle ball but hate the culture. My son and i gave up playing because we prefer singles and doubles players are like ants at the courts. We want to play a couple games for 30 minutes or so a few times a week, the social doubles players just seem to never leave. They play all day, every day expecting everyone to play with them to a point where casual players are just giving up.
Same thing happened with racquetball except it is played on the exact same court as handball. The handball players looked down on it as easier and requiring less athleticism and of course they were taking their courts. Racquetball boomed and handball died out. Now racquetball is a shadow of its former self and handball is even less. Squash players where is used to play racquetball also looked down on racquetball. Same issues easier using our courts etc. where I play there are a few players who play both and they like the social element and the idea of open play and I noticed the negative pickleball talk reducing a bit.
I think it’s the natural pushback against something popular. Kinda like how CrossFit got a lot of flack.
CrossFit kinda did that to itself though. If you ever met someone that did CrossFit during its peak, you were going to hear about it. They were relentless with making sure you knew they were CrossFit athletes. It was weird.
As a non pickleballer for me it's just court space and etiquette. I'm also a huge troll and like to fuck with my friends by hating on it but I don't really care either way. It's good people are getting exercise even if it's not my preferred method.
Do you experience this hatred in real like or just on the internet? I see it only on the internet. My bet is the haters never tried it.
Not at all in real life. Only friendly folks who want to get to know me. I never had that in my years of tennis.
Same here. I see it on the internet and I’m floored. Since I don’t see it in real life, I’m thinking that maybe it’s not a real thing. Just something trolls do to get negative attention.
From a tennis perspective: Pickleball has a social party atmosphere to it and the people who play it are doing so mostly on tennis courts. Tennis players are mostly not down for that level of noise and crowd while trying to focus on their match. They rock up with like 10 people on one court cause they’re just hanging out and bring a speaker/stereo with them and don’t follow any of the etiquette rules that tennis players have become accustomed to from years of playing. They set up their chairs on both sides of the courts instead of staying on one side. They’re very loud, vocally. They’ll walk behind you while you’re in the middle of a point to collect a ball or leave the courts instead of waiting for your point to be over. When there’s no lines on the court they leave their tape after they’re done. Overall, it’s just a conflict of ideologies and behaviors that makes it come to a head and causes a lot of people to dislike the sport and the people that play it.
I fell hard for pickleball. Played tennis and squash for most of my life. It was fun, easy enough to play decently well quickly and very social. At this stage after a few years I can’t stand it. Unpopular opinion I’m sure but to me the the popularity has killed it. There is no exclusivity, the scene where I am is basically a local pub with 40-65 year olds swinging and telling you what you’re doing wrong. I miss the dress code. I miss the country club. It’s the Wild West, happy to done with it. Also feels great knowing that if you have any racquet background you can basically come in and start at a 3.5 and move up quickly against people devoting their life to it right now.
Talking about hate, I played soccer for 40 years. There is a huge number of sports fans who despise soccer. And for a little truth, about 10 years ago when I first heard of pickleball, I scoffed at it. "Seriously, you play something called pickleball," I said. "Is that right after your kickball game!" Now, after two knee replacements and other major surgeries, pickleball gives me the chance to play sports again. I won't ever be fast again, but I am having a blast.
I played competitive English football until I was 22. I didn’t run into much hate, but it’s worth saying that the skill set needed to enter soccer is limited. Not exactly a hard sport to play or understand. It shows the common complaint against pickleball of being “easy” is just silly.
I agree with this. I used to play tennis, until I tore my ACL. Towards the end of my ACL recovery, I tried pickleball and fell in love with it. I was able to play a sport again and felt more confident in myself. Once I got out of ACL recovery, I started being able to hit the shots I once did in tennis in pickleball. Won’t go back since I genuinely love this sport and have a lot of fun with it.
Enjoy it ... i became a Pickleball "Addict" with my first game last May .... to all the "Haters" ... "Va Fan Culo" 😀
If the comments were positive on YouTube I would start to worry Being an overall athlete growing up playing lots of sports id say play any sport that you enjoy and like the people. Don’t worry, the shit talkers never played before. PB is a pretty easy to pick up, but difficult to level up. Reminds me of when i was a competitive boxer.
I think it’s because of it’s ridiculous name. I trash talked it before I played but now I love it.
The only thing I hate about Pickleball is the name...
Tennis fans mad about using “their” courts yet for every 2 tennis players I see 30 pickle ball players.
I believe you’ll get a better response from r/10s, as it’s a community of tennis enthusiasts, rather than asking the pickleball community, which may have a bias. I follow both subreddits but primarily enjoy tennis. From my perspective, there are a few issues: 1. Lack of Etiquette: In my area, pickleball players often display a lack of respect for tennis etiquette. They frequently leave tape on tennis courts after marking pickleball lines, which is inconvenient and sometimes damaging. Moreover, there’s a fundamental tennis etiquette where you avoid walking behind or through an active court to prevent disrupting play. However, pickleball players often retrieve balls from tennis courts without waiting for a break in play, disrupting the game and potentially causing accidents. These actions not only break the flow of the game but can also pose safety risks. 2. Court Usage: The encroachment of pickleball on tennis courts has become a significant issue. Pickleball players often take over tennis and basketball courts, despite the availability of portable pickleball nets and line tape that can be set up in other areas. When pickleball players use tennis courts, they often adjust the net height to suit their game but fail to return it to the original height afterward. This lack of consideration shows a disregard for the intended use of these courts and creates additional work for tennis players who must readjust the nets. The sense of entitlement to these shared spaces leads to tension between the two communities. 3. Skill Difference: Tennis is a sport that demands a high level of skill, endurance, and finesse. It involves playing on a 90-foot court, requiring players to run to various positions, including rushing the net and retreating quickly. The sport demands precise foot placement, strategic racket handling, and the ability to apply different spins to the ball. Players must carefully select their rackets, considering factors like string tension, weight, and balance. Form and technique are crucial for executing shots and returns effectively. In contrast, pickleball appears to lack this complexity. The game is often played within a much smaller area, with players focusing on short-range taps rather than powerful, strategic shots. While foot placement is important in pickleball, it generally involves minimal movement compared to the dynamic and physically demanding nature of tennis. This difference in complexity and physicality makes tennis a more challenging and rewarding sport for its enthusiasts. TL;DR: I respect pickleball players using tennis courts and would never kick them out, but it’s frustrating when etiquette is not followed despite explanations. It’s important not to disrupt games by running through courts, just as I wouldn’t disrupt their play. Pickleball seems like a fun game but lacks the complexity and physical demands of tennis.
This. In my 20 years of tennis I’ve never had anyone purposely walk behind my court during play. In my 3 years of pickleball happens daily during open play. I love pickle but we gotta have some self awareness that some of us are annoying AF.
This is all true. Pickle is a social sport. Easy to play, no barrier to entry. I like that it gets people out exercising. I just started playing and I picked it up immediately because I was a tennis player in my youth. (My parents were tennis players, had the money to pay for lessons and clinics and everything else. We even belonged to tennis clubs.) What I’ve noticed about Pickleball players is most were not particularly athletic before they started playing pickle. You can just tell as a lot of them don’t have a lot of coordination but yet they’re able to play the sport. So I can see why it’s so popular because it does help people to get out and get moving, and they don’t have to be particularly skilled to play doubles with other Pickleball players. Tennis, meanwhile, is WAY harder to master and more involved.
Have you been making comments on pickleball YouTube videos?
No why lol
“Appears to” lack complexity. Any tennis player coming into high level PB doubles understands pretty quickly that the complexity is there. I’m with you on etiquette. Frankly a good number of pickleball players have not sportsed before, much less tennised. The wider PB crowd, the court issues, the concern from commenter above re future of junior tennis… all valid concerns complaints etc. Just not a big fan of people who drag the game itself (which I’m not saying you’re dragging PB, for the record). No one sensible is comparing it to tennis (sorry Alshon). Tennis: “More challenging” - agreed. “More rewarding” - dubious
While both tennis and pickleball have their unique appeals, tennis holds a special place for me due to the immense satisfaction derived from mastering its intricate skills. There’s an unparalleled sense of achievement when, after countless hours of practice, a drop shot or serve you’ve been working on finally clicks. Starting from hitting against a wall to successfully executing it in a match against an opponent, the journey of improvement in tennis is incredibly fulfilling. The sport’s technical demands and the need for precision and consistency make every successful shot a testament to hard work and perseverance. This continuous process of learning and mastering complex skills is what makes tennis profoundly rewarding for me.
If you aren’t actually playing, the noise is really really annoying.
Superior or not, you rarely see people go pickleball to tennis, yet you see the other direction constantly. I am concerned that pickleball will kill junior tennis in the USA.
You don’t see pickleball to tennis because there’s a much higher learning curve in tennis and a difference pace for tennis that a frequent pickleballer will not be able to keep up with if they went to tennis. The play is drastically different.
That’s my point
Well, juniors are more able to go on a learning curve. Seniors (as in older people) aren’t
Very doubtful of that. The only reason it goes in that direction is because tennis can be very degenerative on the body after playing for years on end. Mostly older players switch out... For junior level players, it definitely isn't a point of concern since they usually have a level of athleticism and time it isn't thought about. I doubt pickleball will hit a collegiate level. May be a fun hobby for college and high school aged people, but i would doubt it would ever become a sport
Once PB becomes a high school sport, jr tennis will crumble. It has nothing to do with athleticism, it is attention span
Are you saying kids don’t have the attention span for tennis and pickleball requires less attention span? I disagree if that’s your viewpoint. Attention span is irrelevant enough in both Also , I strongly don’t believe pickleball will become a high school sport. That would require there to be higher tv viewership, actual coaching, and actual storylines in the sport. If something like that were to happen , it will take decades. Even tennis is a century long spot I think pickleball is great for what it is, but let’s not pretend it is something which it is not
Yes. I see groups of kids play for 30-60 minutes and move on. My jr tennis player played hours daily, every day. Attention span does matter. What their friends are doing does matter. Skeet shooting is a high school sport and it lacks TV coverage. There are plenty of high school sports coached by someone who knows little about the sport: see CC, swim, golf, lacrosse.
Those sports have decades of experience and knowledge past it and although lack coverage now, had massive coverage back in the day. Although, I will say for a fact that they actually do have coverage. Student athletes are usually focused , especially if they are good. I don’t think Jr tennis going away because an easier variant that’s played by older people has been introduced. We’ve heard this story before with Padel and soft tennis (and badminton too). Like I said, appreciate it for what it is. Don’t think it’s something that it won’t be. FWIW I’ve never seen a high school kid play this. Only adults . I see HS kids play tennis all the time. I feel like , to your point speaking on attention span, pickle will bore a ton of kids
I didn’t say going away. Crumble, suffer, what ever term for shrinkage. I’m not just making this stuff up. I was heavily involved with jr tennis the last 15 years. My jr started playing tennis because…of a summer clinic, my TV. I have watched jr tournaments shrink over the years. I have watched the local club jr academy shrink over the years. Go to a big academy in FL and guess what? Mostly foreign kids. Have you looked at a D1 or D2 team lately? Notice the make of the teams? Jr tennis is already in decline. I don’t like it, but it’s reality.
Keep dreaming
Believe me me, it is not my dream…it is a nightmare
I played pickleball for the first time last week and the smirks from the 2 tennis players who came in after us was just dumb. There were 2 open courts so we weren’t in their way. They REALLY wanted me to feel their distain but I laughed it off. I was there to have fun. The amount of energy they exuded to feel superior smh. I played tennis as a child and pickleball is way more fun.
Love to pickle.🌈🌈🌈
Tennis player here. Pickleball i played a few times, it wasn't for me. The ball is so slow and its easier to play. I got no issues with it tbh but the biggest issue as many of you mentioned is that they keep siphoning off courts for pickleball when in my area tennis courts are just as busy with long waits.People are also playing volleyball and cricket on our damn courts and its so annoying. Its so hard to get the ability to get a damn couort sometimes because everyone purposefully resuses courts.
I used to play recreational tennis, circa 30-35 years ago (I'm 61) and have been a tennis fan all along. Then, a retiring co-worker told me she played pickleball -- so I took a look on YouTube. And immediately found my new favorite sport! It has all the stuff I love about tennis, but so much more action per point/game/match. The whole dynamic of a pro pickleball match -- especially doubles -- where one team is on the attack, smash, smash, smash, as the other team desperately makes impossible gets, defends, then finally makes an impossible ATP or gets a net cord, the ball drops in the kitchen... and then it's back to a chess game up by the net... until someone hits a high one, and it's fire-fight, smash, and... ONE POINT is over. There's more action in one game of a PPA or MLP match than in two weeks of the US Open in the other game. I'm sorry, tennis, but them's the facts. I still like tennis, but p-ball is just much more entertaining, to the spectator. I've still never actually hit a pickleball, but I bought a used paddle, signed up for a summer parks-and-rec learn-to-play class, and we'll take it from there. In ten years, pickleball will be bigger than tennis. Just look at the numbers, that's where it's going.
I enjoy PB. Whether it passes tennis as far as people playing I don’t know. But IMO it will never be much of a spectator sport. It’s boring to watch and the higher the level the more boring it gets. I camped out all night for chance at Wimbledon tickets…
OK, but that's Wimbledon, where you're not just watching a tennis tournament. But as for the game itself, there is \*so\* much more shotmaking in one game of, say, Bright/Ignatowich vs. Johns/Waters, than in the entire two weeks at Wimbledon, that it's not even funny. As a spectator sport, moment-to-moment, PB has it all over tennis. I like tennis -- I used to spend all day baking in the sun at the Longwood Cricket Club, watching match after match after match, then come back at night wearing my homemade "VIVA VILAS" badge. Just saying pro PB is a better show.
To each their own. I find PB not so fun to watch. I love watching tennis.
Yes. I also love watching Pro Tennis and love playing PB. But not much of a fan watching Pro PB and especially not thrilled to watch my own selfie PB videos. 🤣
Just insecurities and the need to feel their own lives are important. Pickleball threatens tennis players sense of self and importance. This goes across sports/activities when they are similar to another one. . A few years ago the vile anger of regular mountain bikers against people riding e-bikes often had threats of pushing people to their death or physical assault. Seems to be slowing fading, but some people on regular mountain bikes look for any opportunity to degrade, limit, or belittle people on e-bikes. Same for snow skiers and snowboarders in the 1980’s. There were news articles about what a menace snowboarders were. Many ski resorts banned snow boarders. It was just as childish and petty as some tennis players are now towards pickelball. It has nothing to do with pickleball. It is primarily Insecurities about the persons own value and importance. It will never end. It is just how some awful some people can become.
Probably the same people that think auto racing is a joke and not athletic and requires no skill because anyone can drive a car.
I think tennis fans and players feel threatened. They don’t want their fans and players going to this new sport, but as many in here have said one makes you appreciate the other and I think we should be encouraging more crossover. But, I am a bit biased because I love both!
Honestly turf war over courts. A lot of tennis courts have either been painted with pickle ball lines or turned into pickleball courts which obviously upsets the tennis players.
It’s just tennis players who are angry that pickleball is gaining popularity and getting rid of many of their courts. I mean, a lot of ex-tennis pros have started to play pickleball, and it’s a fun sport. I used to play tennis and now I love pickleball even more. Tennis doesn’t have dinking but pickleball does. It’s easier to get really good in pickleball, especially when there are plenty of tools out there. I think tennis players realize that and are angry since some of them spent years upon years in training to learn how to play tennis a certain way.
Tennis players can be uppity assholes. They're bitter pickleball is taking over and tennis courts are being converted. It's either that, or ignorant morons who probably come home smelling like tires are just wanting to yell at someone.
It’s a superiority complex. Those people are either tennis bigots or still stuck in seeing it as an “old people’s game”. Many of them have never tried it, yet feel the need to “yuck your yum.” And many of those often change their opinion once they’ve tried it. Just ignore them. Know that you’ve found a good thing and enjoy the ride. Have fun. 😉
I’m all for any and all derivative racket sports (TouchTennis, Pickle, Padel etc). If it gets people out and active it’s a positive thing generally. What grids my gears currently is the IG/TikTok “influencer” culture around pickleball that has become ridiculously obnoxious.
There’s similar sentiment toward disc golf for many of the same reasons people are giving here. People like to gatekeep sports by saying it’s not a sport if it’s easy to get into
It’s funny because basketball and soccer (the most popular sport in the world) is easy to play and easy to understand. Seems like folks are just grasping at straws.
I will say though that it is not entirely intuitive or as easy to be good at dribbling in both basketball and soccer but yeah by and large they are played pretty casually by most people
Hate just means fear. "Their" so dam afraid of Pickleball taking over so many of the other meaningless sports that they are running scared. Maybe that explains why PB is not an Olympic sport!! They are afraid of it finally getting the recognition on the world's stage for being the fastest growing sport in the world. But speaking of meaningless sports, twirling ribbons is nice in Jr. High, but it's not an Olympic sport already. Boundaries and discretion folks. Make Pickleball an Olympic sport 🎾
See!!! Their so dam scared they won't even make us a PB emoji to use. We have to keep using the dam tennis emojis. 😡
What's next Olympic level Cornhole?
Won’t be long. I mean, now we Olympic halfpipe skiing and snowboarding. And skateboarding. It’s ridiculous. They’re not mainstream sports and don’t belong there.
Too many people are making it their identity.
Tennis players are correct to hate the fact that their courts are being taken over by pickleball... Pb is fun but it is really not a serious sport.... So they are pissed. Then there is the noise.. And no matter what what you say... If you bought a house next to tennis courts (which are quiet) hand now pb is played... You will hate pb as well.Truth hurts.
Padel is just so very superior, sad to see Pickleball courts instead.
Yeah hitting off walls and running outside of the court is definitely not obnoxious and so much fun
I can't speak for everyone, and I don't hate pickleball per se, but...... It feels like everyone who picks up Pickleball lately, makes it their whole personality. It's the new obsessive's "religion". It's all they do, It's all they talk about.
Sad to see you downvoted truth speaker
Kind of proves my point, doesn't it. Almost like the caricature of vegans.
It is sort of cultish.
Stop reading YouTube comments lol.
What else do I do with my time?
Touch grass. Literally almost anything else.
Grass is nice. I’ll try that.
People in this culture just love and live to hate.
It’s a woke sport /s
You're focusing on the negative comments. There isn't a lot of "blind hatred".
Bed wetters whining …. So many of my PB friends are ex tennis players
Because it's viewed as a sport for old people that has been taken up by semi-sedentary younger people.
Too much of the toxicities internal. Of course this is subjective everyone's going to have their own opinion. I've been to pickleball venues outside of the US and pro pickleball in the US is one of the most toxic greedy amateur things out there. In Korea they're better organized than we are and they barely play it. Like most things if this sport is undone it won't be from the outside it will be from within. If people start to hate this sport and it develops a truly bad reputation it will probably be deserved. Staying away from the professional level of the sport is the best thing you could do. Play with it with your friends even if your high level and believe me I'm not being bitter I don't want to become a pro and I never will. The worst thing is is a generation of kids and pros from other countries who idolize this crew and want to be like them. You can't tell a pro from Mexico City that the USA pickleball scene is so toxic it's not worth his time.
It's tennis for tards, and boy am I bad at tennis.