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Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has joined the growing list of global celebrities investing in the sport that is making waves in the United States: Pickleball.
Model Heidi Klum, actress Eva Longoria and sports superstars LeBron James, Michael Phelps and Patrick Mahomes are among a huge list of big names and champion athletes spending money on Major League Pickleball.
So what’s all the fuss about? And what the heck is Pickleball?
After being invented in 1965, the sport has risen to prominence again in recent years, with the parks completely filled with adults and children playing a game similar to tennis.
Nick Kyrgios, pictured with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, has become the latest celebrity to invest in Major League Baseball’s new Pickleball.
Global superstar celebrities like Heidi Klum and Eva Longoria are among those investing in the new cult phenomenon, Pickleball.
A combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, Pickleball is played with paddles and a hollow polymer ball on a court about one-third the size of a tennis court.
If it doesn’t sound inherently exciting to watch, that’s because it’s probably just a slower, smaller version of tennis.
But that hasn’t deterred some of the world’s biggest celebrities from backing the new Major League, including our own Kyrgios.
Players are recruited by teams owned by the likes of James, Tom Brady, and tech billionaire Mark Cuban.
Kyrgios invested in the Miami team along with fellow tennis star Naomi Osaka (the Australian is managed by the Osaka management company).
He shared a photo on his social media accounts with the caption “Let’s go!”. along with a picture of all the new stars investing in the league.
You may be excited to break into the ground floor of a league that attracts huge public interest, but one Australian tennis legend has been scathing about his investment.
Nick Kyrgios posted his delight at being a new investor in Major League Pickleball on social media Wednesday morning.
“Just so everyone knows, I will NOT invest in a Pickleball franchise and I will never turn on a TV to watch Pickleball,” Renae Stubbs posted on Twitter.
I prefer to see how the pain dries up. Why do all these tennis players think Pickleball is worth investing in and not the game that made them all the $$$?
As usual, Kyrgios took the bait and received no criticism, citing the fact that other athletes, some of the world’s most recognizable, were also investing in the league.
“Lol, I think LeBron James and Kevin Durant have a little more idea what to invest in,” he replied, though he missed the point Stubbs had made.
Speaking on her podcast, the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, the six-time Grand Slam doubles winner said as much.
Kyrgios, pictured playing in the World Tennis League on December 19, has refuted suggestions from Australian legend Rennae Stubbs that he should invest in his own sport.
“I’m not talking about basketball players investing in pickleball, I’m talking about tennis players investing in pickleball,” he said.
‘It’s like wait a second, you think because LeBron and KD (Kevin Durant) invested, then, good grief, we should all be jumping on board.
“No dude, they have play money, those guys have play money or someone with a ton of money, much more than LeBron and KD is giving them money to invest in a pickleball association,” Stubbs said.
The criticism probably won’t bother Kyrgios in the slightest.
The US Sports and Fitness Industry Association confirmed that pickleball is the fastest growing sport, with a 39% increase in participation between 2019 and 2021.
The sport’s governing body, USA Pickleball, says there are 4.8 million pickleball players in the country.
A healthy crowd gathered to watch the 2022 Margaritaville USA National Pickleball Championship men’s doubles championship match in Indian Wells
Pickleball is played on a court one-third the size of a tennis court, with a hollow ball and a paddle, like Major League Baseball player Dekel Bar, pictured here.
Major League Pickleball CEO Brian Levine is clearly confident that the tournament will continue to grow in stature thanks to investment and exposure from the likes of Kyrgios.
“The diversity in backgrounds and experience of our fantastic new owners is an incredible asset as we aggressively expand Major League to reach more fans than ever before,” he said in a statement.
“We always say that Pickleball brings people together, and this list of leaders from a wide variety of industries is a strong testament to that philosophy.”
Pickleball Australia, which was established in 2020, said Down Under associations and gaming groups were “well connected to the rapidly growing Pickleball community around the world.”