Former tennis players find second wind in pickleball

Bengaluru: On a good day, Sharmada Balu would play in front of a handful crowd during a final of an international tennis tournament. 

“Most times three people watching would be a big deal. But here the arena is filled with cheering spectators,” shares the Bengaluru girl. 

The former professional tennis player, who has two singles and 16 doubles titles on the ITF Tour, quit the sport over a year ago due to injuries, switching completely to pickleball. 

Sharmada Balu

A tennis player trying out another racquet sport isn't a novelty. However, the number of players transitioning to pickleball is growing at a fast rate worldwide. And those in Bengaluru’s tennis community aren't far behind in migrating to the newest sporting addiction. 

Similar to Sharmada, Rishi Reddy and Rashein Samuel are two other former pros who picked up pickleball paddles in the last 12 months. Convenience, cost-effectiveness, financial benefits, being physically less taxing, large crowds and lively ambiance are some of the factors luring players from a sport known for the stark opposite - a set-up that can be expensive, lonely and physically and mentally pushing the limits. 

Rashein, at 5 feet 10 inches, explains how a height disadvantage makes a huge difference in tennis while the same isn’t a major hassle on a 20x44-foot dimension pickleball court.  

“Despite solid groundstrokes, serves were the weakest link in my game. If you see tennis players now, most of them are about 6'3", 6'4", and they have massive serves. But having a good forehand in tennis translated to having a good serve in pickleball because a serve is a forehand. And I love hitting forehands,” offers the 33-year-old Rashein who has already competed in over 30 pickleball tournaments. 

Speaking about monetary rewards, Rishi terms it as ‘making 10x more for doing 10x less’ and says it is a no-brainer for a tennis player to make the switch. 

“I started playing in February 2025. Within three months, I began playing tournaments and by December last year, because of my strong performances, I got selected to play two leagues in India. 

“At the auctions, I drew about 2.5 lakhs each besides having travel, stay and food during the events taken care of by the franchises. Moreover, it is an 11-point match with games scheduled only on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. It’s a sport which is a lot more convenient for people who have other things going on in their life and I would definitely suggest any racquet sport player to take it up in the latter stages of their career,” points the 28-year-old Rishi. 

The fact that tennis – in terms of intensity, skillset and professionalism – is way more demanding than pickleball is no debate at all. But how difficult is it really for an explosive tennis playing individual to contain, control and compose one’s game to suit the community-driven physical activity in a compact setting. 

“You can't play pickleball like tennis,” explains Sharmada, adding: “When the ball slows down you're waiting to attack. But in pickleball, when the ball is slow, you need to be even more patient. You can't just hit every ball. Staying low, smaller swings and fewer crossovers (footwork) are some of the other nuances one needs to adjust to.” 

Rishi observes: “While tennis thrives on depth, pickleball requires angles. Since singles cater to the people who have more spin and power — aka the tennis players — it becomes easy for us to adapt. Doubles, though, requires those with good touch and feel to be accurate and patient.”

Rishi Reddy

Going back to the Indian tennis players performing to empty stands almost entirely during their careers, pickleball’s social appeal is a significant and much-needed change have always sought. 

“There are so many categories," says Rashein. “So it gives more opportunities to involve large numbers. This draws big crowds. It is so refreshing for all of us to play in front of so many people watching. Definitely rewarding.” 

Currently, the Centre Court Pickleball League – a seven-week (played every Saturday) six-team (with 10 players each) franchise-style competition - is underway in Bengaluru. 

Sharmada (Rally Renegades), Rashein (Southern Primes), Rishi (Depot 18 Chargers) are the three captains in the league. They are joined by fellow former tennis players Prerana Prathap and Sujith Sachidanand (skipper & deputy of Net Ninjas) while Ranjit Kupli (Mana BMR Smash Club) and Avilay Jha (Nin9s) are the two other non-tennis players serving as skippers.

What began as a fad is slowly turning out to be staple for many former tennis players. Internationally, the likes of greats Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf too vouch for pickleball's upward trajectory in the future. The trend has caught on here in the city too and is likely to only get bigger and better.