“I want pickleball banned” “That’s why 60 year old grandmas play it”: Fans react to Christian Alshon claiming the sport to be harder than tennis

Christian Alshon’s assertion that pickleball is a more challenging sport than tennis, made by the former collegiate tennis player, has generated comical responses from social media users.

Despite the fact that pickleball has been around for a considerable amount of time, it has recently gained a significant increase in popularity, leading to a division among fans of racket sports into two groups: those who are passionate about the sport and those who detest it. This rise in popularity has also resulted in many former professionals and aspiring players from other racket sports making the switch to playing pickleball full-time.

Christian Alshon recently expressed how playing pickleball has enhanced his athleticism and further asserted that, in terms of skill, pickleball is a more challenging sport as each point demands a higher level of expertise. Alshon posted on X (formerly known as Twitter):

“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. Point for point, pickleball requires more skill than tennis.”

Alshon’s statement sparked ruthless trolling, not only from current and former professionals like Nick Kyrgios, James Blake, and Andy Roddick, but also from fans on X. One fan even went as far as to express a desire for pickleball to be banned and the name to be erased from existence.

“I want pickleball banned and the name stricken from the lexicon”

A different fan playfully remarked on the fact that even 60-year-old grandmothers are capable of playing pickleball, in response to Alshon’s statement about its demanding level of skill.

“Yea that’s why 60 year olds grandmas are playing pickleball”

Additional responses from the fans are provided below.

“Pickleball: The Sport That’s Taking the World by Storm”- John McEnroe’s Surprising Take

Prior to participating in the pickleball tournament with a prize of one million dollars, John McEnroe was a guest on the Pat McAfee show, where he was joined by Andre Agassi, Micheal Chang, and Andy Roddick.

Throughout the interview, McEnroe was honest and open about his opinions, stating that he was not a big fan of pickleball. He even compared the sport to a lesser version of the NFL using an analogy.

“Compare it to the NFL it’s like a poor man’s arena football.”(at 2:18)

McEnroe made it clear that his main goal with this tournament was to promote the sport he played professionally, rather than pickleball. He strongly opposed the idea of recognizing pickleball as a sport and instead viewed it as an activity.

The duo of Agassi and Roddick emerged victorious in the doubles match, winning one million dollars after defeating McEnroe and Chang 21-15, 21-23, 12-10 in a winner takes all scenario.