Journalist Jon Wertheim feels like tennis and pickleball should find a way to co-exist as opposed to the high level of animosity coming from tennis fans towards the emerging sport.
On Sunday (April 2), the Hard Rock Stadium hosted the 2023 Miami Open final between Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner. While this was happening, tennis icons Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, and John McEnroe participated in the 'Pickleball Slam' event in Florida. There were more than a few tennis fans who were annoyed by this with one writing on Twitter:
"on one channel I have Miami finals and on the other channel 4 tennis legends are playing pickleball in Miami at the same time (and are not watching the final), something seems off…,"
Reacting to the Tweet, journalist Wertheim said:
"Tennis needs to figure out a way to work with pickleball and not against it. Ride the wave. Use it to accentuate Sinner/Medvedev not cannibalize it….This is a popular podcast that advertisers love right now. Tennis should be (or should’ve been) Spotify."
Wertheim went back and forth with some tennis but a lot of them were left unconvinced about pickleball. It doesn't seem likely that tennis fans will ever back pickleball but that's nothing new. John McEnroe dissed it publicly but then accepted a bag of cash to play it.
Tennis needs to figure out a way to work with pickleball and not against it. Ride the wave. Use it to accentuate Sinner/Medvedev not cannibalize it….This is a popular podcast that advertisers love right now. Tennis should be (or should’ve been) Spotify
@jon_wertheim on one channel I have Miami finals and on the other channel 4 tennis legends are playing pickleball in Miami at the same time (and are not watching the final), something seems off…
