Tennis is Superior to Pickleball

Imagine walking past some tennis courts and hearing this horrible and loud sound. The people on the courts have these little paddles in their hands and call out a score along the lines of 4-3-1. The name of this activity is called “pickleball.” However, some people get offended by this comment because to them it is more than a recreational time spender. And, they are not wrong, for it has been expanding like crazy the past few years or so. In fact, it has become the fastest growing sport in the entire world.

Hence, there are some people out there that are indecisive when it comes to choosing between tennis and pickleball. In this article, we will look into the reasons that make me prefer tennis over pickleball.

Sound of the Ball

The first reason that I believe tennis is better than pickleball is due to the sound the ball creates when it is struck. In other words, when I hit a tennis ball, it creates a nice and tolerable sound.

Now, when I switch the spin on the ball, the sound changes. This is something that's really beautiful about tennis and is the answer to why people in the crowd are quiet and don’t make a sound. John McEnroe once said that players need to concentrate on the sound of the ball and there is some truth to that.  

If you take out the sound of the ball everything changes. The different spins aren’t recognizable. Every time you hit a serve you hear a different sound, for a flat serve sounds different from the slice serve, which sounds different from a kick serve.

On the other hand, pickleball has a sound that's quite frankly annoying and irritating to listen to. However, I will say that when you are smacking a pickleball, it’s not as annoying. I would compare it to blowing leaves. When you're actually blowing the leaves, it's kind of fun, but listening to that sound from the outside is an absolute nightmare.

Drip

Another reason why I think tennis is better than pickleball is the drip. For some of you that don’t know, drip basically means stylish clothes. Simply take a look at how stylish the kits professionals wear are. You see these shoes, you see the tennis shorts, you see the Rafa shirt, and you see the Federer hats.

Joking aside, tennis clothes have always been cool. Back in the day with McEnroe and Borg, they were wearing Sergio Tacchini and Fila, which were brands that people were dying to get in their hands on. Although the tennis clothes aren't as cool as they were in the past, tennis clothes and especially tennis shoes are maybe the best looking and coolest outfits out of all sports.

Meanwhile, people playing pickleball are usually dressed extremely casually, as if they were going to the beach or to work. In fact, in tennis on the other hand, you can't just show up to the court any type of way. A lot of clubs actually have dress codes and generally you do have to wear tennis attire.

Etiquette

No matter what some people think, tennis is a gentleman’s sport. There is simply a way players need to behave on the tennis court. I have played on a

tennis court next to pickleball players many times and I often hear hooting and hollering.

There seems to be less of the culture of tennis where everybody is supposed to be quiet and everybody is supposed to behave. I would say it is more party time when they play. They're obviously having fun and I'm sure that it's a lot of fun to play pickleball, but on a tennis court you can't behave that way.

Fun Factor

On the other hand, I would say that for the common beginner, pickleball will be a lot more fun than tennis. And, this relates to the last point that I made about people having too much fun on the court. People tend to get really frustrated when they play tennis and sometimes don't seem to have fun at all.

Let’s say two people who have never played tennis hop on a court with a handful of tennis balls. They try to rally back and forth, but since they don't have any technique to speak of, they're going to have a horrible time. Every few seconds they will have to be picking up balls.

In pickleball, even as a beginner you can find a way to start getting that ball back and forth with your hitting partner. This is due to the reason that the only way to have fun in tennis is if you learn the fundamentals. If this is a problem for you, I highly recommend you to look for a local pro to help you out.

Professional Matches

In my opinion, there is nothing better in this world than to watch tennis at the professional level on the Tennis Channel. Think about all of those unbelievable matches between Nadal and Djokovic or Federer and Nadal. I guess nowadays we could talk about matches between Alcaraz and Sinner, like their remarkable encounter at the Miami Open yesterday.

Therefore, I'm gonna go out here and say that tennis is absolutely the best sport to watch on television. I am aware that there are a lot of football, soccer, basketball, and baseball fans in this world. However, there's nothing better to watch than a great tennis match on TV.

Now, I actually pay the premium for Tennis Channel Plus and have tried to watch professional pickleball on it. I just love the Tennis Channel and I have it on my TV pretty much all day long. On the channel, there is this seccion that’s for professional pickleball. I have tried watching a match, but what happens at their high level is that there is really no power.

You can try to hit a pickleball as hard as you can and still control it because the ball is made out of plastic and has holes. Eventually, it ends up becoming a touch and feel game. It literally seems they’re just kind of maneuvering and finessing the ball around. Says a lot compared to the 130 mph serves you see at the Grand Slams.

Final Thoughts

Pickleball is certainly growing at an exponential rate all over the world and the tennis community has to accept that it is here to stay. Our courts are even being converted into pickleball courts to accommodate the endless lines that are formed outside of parks. However, I still believe that tennis is a much better sport to play than pickleball. Whether it is due to the sound of the ball or the excitement in professional matches, tennis is simply superior.

What’s more, I would like to add that it is important to be respectful to pickleball players. I believe there can still be a sense of mutual respect in this situation. If it comes down to fighting over a court, challenge them to a set of tennis. You will most likely put ona free tennis clinic.