Montreal-born tennis star Eugenie Bouchard made her much-anticipated professional pickleball debut on Wednesday and in her phrases, “it was higher than anticipated.”
“Look, pickleball is loopy,” mentioned Bouchard, including she’s pleased with the way it went regardless of shedding.
Bouchard was competing within the singles, ladies’s doubles and blended doubles however was knocked out of the competitors on Day 1 of the PPA Tour Hyundai Masters, happening in Palm Springs.
Regardless of years of expertise competing in tennis tournaments, reaching the Wimbledon finals and reaching a career-high rating of No. 5 on the WTA Tour, Bouchard admitted to being a bit nervous earlier than her pickleball matches.
“It’s wild for me to only play a very totally different sport,” she mentioned.
Pickleball is commonly described as a mixture of tennis, badminton and ping pong, although for the informal onlooker it would look sufficient like tennis to imagine a seamless transition.
But it surely’s not essentially that straightforward.
“I’ve performed tennis for 25 years now, and so my mind is like wired for tennis,” Bouchard mentioned.
The largest adjustment has been getting used to the distinction in size of the tennis racket versus the pickleball paddle, the latter being shorter.
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“So I like both utterly whiff the ball or I simply hit the tip of the paddle and miss my shot,” she mentioned.
Regardless of a “rocky begin” in her first match, Bouchard mentioned she felt like she improved a tiny bit with every successive recreation.
Bouchard mentioned taking part in with the professionals is a special ball recreation altogether, however a good way to be taught, with different gamers sharing ideas like the place to face or how one can hit.
“That’s simply so useful,” she mentioned. “I simply want extra of that as a result of I wasn’t getting that earlier than I received right here.”
Bouchard defined there aren’t actually any pickleball coaches but, owing to the novelty of the game.
However Bouchard mentioned she’s up for the problem and excited to be a part of one thing that’s turning into wildly common.
It’s the quickest rising sport within the U.S. and Bouchard mentioned she’s seen proof of that in Miami, the place she’s based mostly.
“Everybody I do know performs, everybody I do know is obsessive about it,” she mentioned, including that tennis courts all over the place within the metropolis are being become pickleball courts.
That features, tennis courts she used to coach at, or others that have been usually empty or sparsely attended.
“I’m amazed on the progress and I’m pleased to leap on this prepare of one thing that’s taking on,” she mentioned.
Tennis followers, nevertheless, shouldn’t be apprehensive that Bouchard is switching courts utterly.
“Tennis has been my past love ever since I’m 5 years previous,” she mentioned.
Bouchard is prone to have a really busy schedule this yr, as she’s planning on pursuing each sports activities at a professional stage.
“I’m very excited to only problem myself with this new pickle chapter after which nonetheless stay within the tennis world that I like.”
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