Reilly Opelka expresses disapproval of Pickleball, takes sarcastic dig at the newly-emerging sport

Reilly Opelka has expressed his disapproval of the newly emerging sport of Pickleball and took a dig at it after it gained mainstream media attention.

Pickleball is an indoor/outdoor sport where two or four players hit a perforated ball over a 36-inch-high net using a paddle or a racket. The sport has gained a lot of popularity in recent days, particularly in the US. It is a combination of tennis and badminton but requires less effort. Since it is slow-paced, easy to learn and has less ground to cover, a large section of people, irrespective of their age, have picked up the sport as their major source of entertainment.

While the general public approves of pickleball, several tennis players have marked their dislike towards the sport as they find it so effortless, with World No. 38 Opelka one of them. He recently took to social media and said:

"I love watching bingo on the tennis channel"

Apart from Reilly Opelka, many other tennis personalities, including the likes of Rennae Stubbs and Martina Navratilova, have voiced similar opinions.

Stubbs made several social media posts marking her disapproval for the game. She stated that she will neither watch the game on television nor invest in the sport anytime in the future.

"Just to let everyone know, I will NOT be investing in a Pickleball franchise & will never turn a tv on to watch Pickleball. I would rather watch pain dry. Why all these tennis players think Pickleball is worth investing in & not the game that made them all the $$$ is beyond me,” she wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Navratilova made a taunting remark about the sport. The 66-year-old conveyed that she would not get involved in the game unless she becomes completely unable to run.

"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," she wrote.

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Reilly Opelka mocks Pickleball after NBA star Dirk Nowitzki showcases his skills in the sport sport

Reilly Opelka at the 2022 Delray Beach Open.

It is not the first time that Reilly Opelka has shared his opinion about pickleball. In October, the American mocked NBA star Dirk Nowitzki for showcasing his skills in the sport because the tennis player rather deems it to be unchallenging and elementary.

Nowitzki took part in an exhibition pickleball match where he paired up with veteran John Isner as they faced off against Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler of the Professional Golfers' Association. Nowitzki in particular grabbed the attention of the spectators as he amazed them with his racquet skills.

Opelka took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the topic. He wrote:

"Pickleball is the new bingo"