James Blake welcomes Kim Clijsters as new owner in Major League Pickleball - "Now I've got nothing"

Former World No.4 James Blake has welcomed his fellow former tennis player Kim Clijsters to the league of athletic owners of Major League Pickleball.

Pickleball is America's fastest-growing sport and has attracted a slew of star athlete owners like NBA legend LeBron James, former Super Bowl winner Drew Brees and James Blake, among others. Meanwhile, Blake and NBA team Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry own The Lions, one of 12 MLP teams this season. MLP is expanding to 16 teams next year.

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Since her retirement, Clijsters has played pickleball regularly with Wall Street bond saleswoman Callie Simpkins and financial advisor Kaitlyn Kerr. The Belgian has now teamed up with NFL legend Tom Brady to become the co-owner of a new MLP team. Simpkins and Kerr will be part of the ownership group - led by Knighthead Capital Management - is part of MLP's expansion plan for 2023.

Blake tweeted about Clijsters' arrival on the scene, jokingly lamenting that he's no longer the 'best tennis player' in the group of athlete owners in the MLP. He tweeted:

"Welcome to the league Kim Clijsters. I started as the best athlete of the owners. Then Drew Brees came along. But at least I stayed the best tennis player. Now I've got nothing."

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Pickleball is a sport that combines aspects of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and is played on outdoor badminton-sized courts 44 feet long. An estimated 4.8 million players played pickleball last year.