Pickleball has been gaining popularity in recent years, especially among retirees and those seeking a more casual alternative to traditional racket sports. With smaller courts, lighter equipment, and a slower pace, pickleball is often seen as more accessible. However, tennis remains a dominant global sport, with millions of fans and players around the world.

Former world No. 1 tennis player Andy Roddick recently engaged in a friendly banter with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Twitter. Musk predicted that pickleball would overtake tennis in popularity while Roddick staunchly defended his sport.

Andy Roddick backs up tennis while Elon Musk makes bold assumptions about the sport

The exchange began with Musk tweeting, “Pickleball will crush tennis. Way more convenient.” A bold statement that caught the attention of the tennis community. However, Roddick was quick to respond with a tongue-in-cheek retort. He added, “And it will never crush tennis. It’s so much fun to play but it’s not even comparable as a viewer. Ping pong is also really fun would rather be kicked in the nuts than watch it on TV.”

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Musk, who is known for his ambitious projects like SpaceX and Tesla, seemed unfazed by Roddick’s reply. Other Twitter users also joined the conversation. One user wrote, “I agree with Andy on this one. It’s a fun game to play but it would never take the place of tennis. I love watching tennis, but watching pickleball is about as entertaining as watching Cornhole.”

Tennis fans joined in to extend support to the tennis star

The friendly wager between Roddick and Musk has garnered attention from both the tennis and pickleball communities, with many chiming in to support the former sport.

Another tennis enthusiast added, “Pickleball is fun but tennis takes so much more athleticism and endurance and is just visually more appealing on TV. Pickleball may be having a moment but I doubt it will ever overtake tennis worldwide”.

Whether pickleball will ultimately “crush” tennis remains to be seen. However, the friendly banter between Roddick and Musk has undoubtedly sparked a conversation about the future of racket sports and the growing popularity of pickleball.

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