Can you imagine one of the best tennis players opting to become a professional pickleball contender? Andy Murray, Rennae Stubbs, Aleksandar Kovacevic, and many others have a pretty strong notion against pickleball. Murray even criticized the noise of the ball hitting the racquet, while Kovacevic dubbed it a “dumbed-down version of tennis.” But the #1 WTA star, Aryna Sabalenka, has a different opinion.  

During a recent conversation with Ireland Horvat, a digital creator, Sabalenka revealed her stance on pickleball. He disclosed that she had actually played the sport, but briefly, for about five minutes. However, would she opt to become a pro-pickleball athlete? “Maybe for after my career,” she stated. However, there was a hint of hesitation in her voice when Horvat tried to confirm whether Sabalenka was actually serious about pickleball following her retirement. And her answer? An uncertain “I don’t know.”

But that’s when Hannah Blatt, a pro pickleball player, jumped into the conversation and offered to be Sabalenka’s partner. This made her comment, “We’re booking already!” Do you remember what John McEnroe said about pickleball during his conversation with Adam Zagoria of Forbes? He dismissed pickleball as an interesting sport, but asserted that if the paycheck was good, one could become a pro pickleball player. And Aryna Sabalenka was probably of a similar mindset. She didn’t really say it for sure, but left her post-retirement plans open with a vague, “We’ll see.” 

But what exactly is the main difference between tennis and pickleball? Sabalenka said, “I mean, there’s a lot of different stuff. I feel like pickleball, maybe, I don’t wanna offend anyone, but I feel like, maybe it’s a bit easier to learn. It’s a bit different environment, like you can just put like a small court in the middle of the Central Park, and put the music on, people having fun watching pickleball. And it’s also quite intense, you know, if you go for like a volley shot. That is like very intense. So, it’s a bit different. Definitely.” 

As of now, pickleball is booming. Andre Agassi, Sam Querry, and John Isner are vocal ambassadors of the sport as they look to bridge the gap between tennis and pickleball. There are others who like the distinctive ‘pop’ of the plastic ball hitting the paddle. On top of that, with Major League Pickleball on the rise, the sport is attracting quite some investors as well. This has forced some tennis facilities to take to pickleball courts. 

It’s clear that Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t hate pickleball like many purists. But will people watch her play pickleball as a professional? Only time can tell that for sure. But as far as her retirement is concerned, she has hinted at it on multiple occasions. And pickleball career would definitely not be her only post-retirement plan.

Aryna Sabalenka weighs in on her retirement plans

Back in January, prior to showcasing her performance at the Melbourne Open, Aryna Sabalenka revealed her plans after imminent retirement. She’s currently 27 years old, and according to her, people retire during their 30s. Needless to say, Sabalenka isn’t ready to retire just yet. But when it comes to starting a family, she finds her tennis career to have a lower priority.

Sabalenka said, “I hope I’ll have family; I’ll have kids – I want to have kids. I don’t want to have my first kid at 35, you know. The way I see it, I really want to have a kid and then come back, and I want my kid to see how hard you should work in life to get things.” 

Of course, Sabalenka is currently focused on winning the 2025 US Open title. And her retirement is pretty far away if we consider her quitting at 30. But for now, we’ve got to commend her inclination towards a pickleball career. But will the rest of her fellow tennis stars support her in this decision?