Novak Djokovic will be trying out a new sport ahead of the US Open.
Novak Djokovic will turn his hand to the sport rivalling tennis ahead of the US Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has been announced as one of the players taking part in Head’s pickleball tournament later this week.
But just a month ago, Djokovic blasted the newer racket sport for “endangering” tennis.
Both padel and pickleball have swept the recreational sports world in recent years. The public are now opting for the easier and more sociable alternatives to tennis instead. The pro pickleball tour has also gained momentum, with former tennis stars Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard among those making the switch.
It’s something that Djokovic hasn’t been too happy with. But he will now try his hand at the American version, pickleball, on Thursday. The world No. 2 is sponsored by racket brand Head and will appear at one of their pre-US Open events, putting tennis players to the pickleball test.
Djokovic will be joined by ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner and recent Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova. “Ever wondered what it’s like to see these legends in action playing a different sport? Don’t miss this chance to see them like never before!” Head wrote on Instagram.
It’s an interesting sponsorship commitment for the Serb, who believes that pickleball is contributing to tennis’ decrease in popularity. The 37-year-old likes to stay involved with the tennis ecosystem – he was previously president of the ATP player council and left to set up his own Professional Tennis Players Association, fighting for things like better pay for those lower down the rankings.
And he hit out at padel and pickleball last month during Wimbledon, claiming that those in charge needed to ensure that tennis remained on top of the racket sports. “Now we have the paddle or padel, as you call it in the States, that is growing and emerging,” he said.
“People kind of have fun with it and say, Yeah, but tennis is tennis. Tennis is the king or queen of all the racket sports, that’s true. But on a club level, tennis is endangered. If we don’t do something about it, as I said, globally or collectively, padel, pickleball in States, they’re going to convert all the tennis clubs into padel and pickleball because it’s just more economical.”
Djokovic wasn’t surprised to see clubs go down the padel and pickleball route but he wants the tennis world to address the disruption. He continued: “You have one tennis court. You can build three padel courts on one tennis court. You do the simple math. It’s just much more financially viable for an owner of a club to have those courts.
“In the grand scheme of things, I feel like we need to address all of these, I feel like, challenges and issues for us really. They have been out there for a while, but I don’t think we have been addressing them in a proper way.”
But he’s not immune to the pickleball craze, as he will give the alternative sport a go before heading to the US Open in search of his first Grand Slam title of the season. Djokovic has not played a match since winning his first Olympic gold medal earlier this month but he recently returned to training before heading to New York.
