Home

Tennis

Perturbed by the Growing Popularity of Pickleball, Vandals Destroy Courts in Needham

Published 04/25/2023, 6:32 AM EDT

Follow Us

There has been an enormous rise in the number of people, both professional and recreational players, participating in the sport of pickleball. In the United States, the paddle sport has already gained everyone’s approval, including some of the American tennis legends. However, an act of vandalism has now caused a huge stir in the pickleball community, as the citizens of a popular town in Massachusetts recently saw a shocking incident.

Investigations are going on after a group of vandals allegedly tossed and slashed the nets of the pickleball courts in Needham. Further, there are numerous questions surrounding an argument involving some tennis players that may have led to the shocking incident at Mills Field.

The pickleball community becomes a target of vandalism

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

A group of players recently witnessed the nets of their town’s pickleball facility slashed and dissembled. Needham Police are now investing the matter as an act of vandalism, according to a report from CBS News. A few days prior to the incident, there was a verbal feud between some tennis and pickleball players.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Speaking about the same in an interview with WBZ-TV, some players revealed that the dispute between the two groups may have led to the act of vandalism. However, they are not sure if there was any connection between the two separate incidents in Needham.

One of the players, Lisa Rhoades, also commented on the dispute as she said that they would be glad to share the facilities and court with tennis players. She said, “We were more than happy to coexist with tennis players and share the facilities as needed and someone had this rage inside of them to take it out on us.”

The town’s pickleball nets that got tossed and trampled were built by the members of the community themselves after they were given the green light by the authorities for the equipment.

Other pickleball players have also commented on the matter

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

One of the athletes named Paul Pasquarosa brought to light the huge popularity of the paddle sport in their town. He stated that when they first began, there were only a few players in the pickleball community, and that number has since risen to around 1100.

READ MORE- After Reaching Us Open Quarterfinal American Tennis Icon Creates History in Pickleball

Meanwhile, another pickleball player, Chrissy Silverman, expressed her frustration upon witnessing the shocking incident of vandalism. She said, “It just looks like a pile of trash,” upon witnessing the nets and poles of her town’s court slashed and dissembled.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY – Serena Williams’ Ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou Launches Fresh Controversy as He Irks Rafael Nadal Fans With a Biased Novak Djokovic Statement

What do you think of the pickleball community becoming a target of vandalism? Let us know in the comments section.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Anurag Gusain

1,595Articles

One take at a time

Anurag Gusain is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports. Being a huge tennis fan, he enjoys watching the Spanish legend Rafael Nadal dominate other superstars on the ATP Tour. His coverage of Nadal's 14 French Open titles has been hailed as some of the best in the business, showcasing his talent for storytelling and his ability to capture the essence of the sport.
Show More>

Edited by:

Tony Thomas