Pickleball is another racket sport that sees great fortune in its future. The paddle sport is quite similar to tennis at first look. The two sports are played in a similar manner but have different approaches to how they’re played. Markings on the courts are similar and both are played with a net in the middle to separate the two sides. Even some of the rules of crowd engagement are similar. Recently, a pickleball player was fined in a tennis-like fashion for being crass during a match.

The sport’s popularity skyrocketed even further after the Pickleball Slam between Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Michael Chang and Andy Roddick. The four have ensured that new pickleball matches will have quite a few eyes on them.

Pickleball player fined for hand gesture

Fan interactions in racket sports are usually limited. Especially in tennis, there are few circumstances of players interacting with the crowd during a match. Belligerent interactions are even fewer but see a fine set in place for the player. Following on the track to being similar to tennis, a pickleball player received a hefty fine for a crowd interaction gone wrong.

In a pickleball match on 22nd April, Pablo Tellez was fined while on the PPA tour. Tellez and the fans had a heated exchange during the match and were warned by the referee once. However, after the match, Tellez approached the group and made a hand gesture which was later fined. As he was packing up, there was another heated exchange between the fans and Tellez. A staff member separated the two and removed the group from the stadium.

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Tellez admitted his mistake post the incident and made a statement apologizing for his crass behavior. “It was a very heated match, a lot of emotions on both sides. I apologize to everyone, I should not have reacted the way I did, and I will do better in the future.”

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Hostile fan interactions are a part of each sport worldwide. A resolution of such issues usually happens promptly. With the popularity of pickleball rising, such instances will end up being more common as more fans will watch matches. More fans will mean more heated interactions which means more rules regarding such will be created.

Was it right to fine the Pickleball player for his heated confrontation with the fans? Let us know in the comments.