Martina Navratilova is one of the most dominant players the sport has seen in its history. She is widely regarded by many as the best all-format player of all time. However, the sport’s popularity has waned in recent years and now faces a stern challenge from a new racket sport. Pickleball is making waves in the US, and the tennis legend recently took to her Twitter account to give her opinion about the sport.

Navratilova often uses her Twitter account to provide unfiltered opinions about varied subjects. This time, she gave reasons behind why pickleball has garnered so much popularity and how it is extremely different from the sport she mastered.

Martina Navratilova explains the difference between tennis and pickleball, with a twist

Tennis is a difficult sport. It demands both physical and mental strength. Apart from that, it needs a steely resolve, as playing an opponent one-on-one in front of a huge crowd can be intimidating, especially when the crowd is against you.

Therefore, Navratilova took to her Twitter to explain why pickleball is the talk of the town. She tweeted, “Biggest reason pickleball is so popular, IMNSHO, is that you can be decent and feel successful rather quickly. Unlike tennis, which- in the words of my friend Joel Drucker- takes a long time not to suck.” 

Well, the words of her friend are not completely wrong. Learning to play tennis in itself is challenging. Then mastering it and becoming a professional player is much more difficult, and only achieved by a handful of athletes.

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Furthermore, Navratilova interacted with fans and humorously took a dig at the new sport. She commented, “It’s a great sport for sure:), will only play pickleball (who came up with that name?!?) if I can’t run at all anymore:)”

Tom Brady and Kim Clijsters invest in pickleball

The rise of the new sport is not a joke. Renowned names like legendary Quarterback, Tom Brady, and retired tennis star Kim Clijsters, have shown an interest in owning an expansion team in the soon-to-be-established Major League Pickleball division.

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This shows the immense rise of the sport, particularly in the US. It is a sport that is easier to play and is open to both males and females equally, leading to the immense rise in the popularity of the sport.