Tennis Will Always Reign Supreme Over Pickleball

In the tennis world, we've seen many new racquet sports attempt to dethrone the giant. The latest one, pickleball, is trying but will never compete. As a tennis store owner, I see many players trying out the sport but ultimately come back to tennis. Let's forget the name for a second—by the way, that's why Nike has refused to enter the space. They stated that they can't get behind a "silly game." Let's also forget one of the rules about not entering the "kitchen." The scoring? Quite strange. Regardless of these issues, there are quite a few people I know that love the game. They are called hip and knee surgeons. Our tennis players who are doctors have become so busy lately because of the sport. Their biggest issue is that new players to the sport—people in their 50s–80s—haven't played many sports in the near past and forget the importance of stretching. Players also think that it's easier on the body than tennis. Simply not true. This game is played on hard court and has very unnatural movement. For all of these reasons, I have decided not to carry anymore pickleball products. I'm offended and disappointed to hear that awful noise coming from the courts. But don't worry, it's simply a fad that will pass in due time.