Despite Christian Alshon’s claim that pickleball requires more skills than tennis, Nick Kyrgios did not hold back in expressing his disagreement.
After securing the Division III NCAA championship for the University of Chicago in 2022, Alshon, who had previously played collegiate tennis, decided to make the switch to pickleball. The 24-year-old, currently ranked No. 5 in men’s singles according to the PPA Tour website, recently shared his thoughts on his transition to the sport.
According to Alshon, pickleball has improved his athleticism and he believes the sport requires faster reflexes compared to tennis.
“Pickleball has made me a much better athlete than Tennis ever did. Faster reaction time and speed are needed since the ball is only coming from 10 feet away.”Christian Alshon wrote on X.
According to the American, the paddle sport demands a greater level of skill compared to tennis.
“Point for point, pickleball requires more skill than tennis,”he wrote.
Alshon’s comments drew criticism from numerous tennis fans and a handful of both present and past players, such as Andy Roddick and Nick Kyrgios.
Despite the “wild” claim, Kyrgios dismissed it with a laugh and expressed his belief that even the most skilled pickleball player would not be able to compare to someone like Roger Federer.
“Yeah. Let’s hide under the bed after this statement hahahaha bro get me the best pickleball player and compare his talent to Roger Federer. Wild tweet, wild thought,”he responded on X.
The Australian, who is a co-owner of the Miami Pickleball Club with fellow athletes Naomi Osaka and NFL player Patrick Mahomes, requested that Alshon withdraw his statement.
“Delete right now. I love pickle but you had too many tequilas,”Nick Kyrgios added.
Nick Kyrgios Takes on Pickleball with Naomi Osaka and Frances Tiafoe in Australia
Despite multiple injuries, Nick Kyrgios has been largely absent from competition since late 2022. In January 2023, he underwent knee surgery and made a brief comeback in June of the same year.
Despite participating in the Boss Open in Stuttgart and losing in the opening round, Kyrgios was only able to play one match before sustaining a wrist injury. Since then, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist has been in the process of recovering.
During the 2024 Australian Open, even though he was not playing on the court, Nick Kyrgios joined his fellow tennis players for off-court activities. He also had a go at pickleball with Frances Tiafoe and Naomi Osaka, and Osaka shared photos and videos of their day together on social media.
Despite not yet revealing a date for his tennis comeback, Kyrgios, age 28, recently provided a promising update on his progress in recovering from the aforementioned wrist injury.
“Honestly, I’m seeing improvement every day with my wrist and I’m in the middle of getting back to playing shape,”he wrote on Instagram.
“I will be back. I’m not sure of the exact time frame, I will be cautious and take my time, “he added.
Just a few days ago, the Australian athlete also provided a glimpse into his initial on-court training session in the span of eight months.
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