‘It’s Like a Poor Man’s Arena Football’ – Days Before Crucial Contest With Andre Agassi, John McEnroe Minces No Words to Deliver a Pickleball Verdict

John McEnroe is making his fans go on a roller coaster ride with his views toward pickleball. Just when you think he is all for pickleball, he comes back to tennis, and vice versa. With seven Grand Slam titles and a lot of drama on the court, McEnroe is one of the most controversial and, at the same time, loved tennis players of all time. With age, he knows how to keep his sassy attitude alive, and recently McEnroe showed his allegiance to tennis by quite aggressively roasting pickleball.

The American tennis legend has a way with his words, just the way he has with his shots. He knows how to soothe the apprehensions of a tennis fan who is not so fond of pickleball. And seeing McEnroe’s participation in the upcoming Pickleball Slam, things have been quite difficult for tennis enthusiasts. But McEnroe has come to everyone’s rescue with yet another classic subtle dig at pickleball.

John McEnroe shuts down debate around his bias towards pickleball 

John McEnroe is all set to take part in the first-ever Pickleball Slam. Along with him, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick are also taking part. This has raised the apprehension of tennis enthusiasts about his allegiance to the sport.

However, in a candid conversation on The Pat McAfee Show, McEnroe laid all those apprehensions to rest. Considering pickleball as an easy sport, he stated, “As we get older, we cover less and less of the court, so this seemed to make more sense since it’s about a third size, but I’m not a big pickleball guy. It beats my body up.” 

However, the opportunity to have a throwback where he could relive his old days was too good to miss. He stated, “This was too good to pass up to be playing against my old buddy Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang as a partner.”

Going ahead with his further subtle dig at pickleball, he stated, “This pickleball thing is crazy, I don’t get it… I would compare it to the NFL. It’s like a poor man’s Arena Football.” The restrictions with pickleball are a lot. Despite it being one of the rising sports in the US, he still considers it to be lacking the zest of a true sport.

He stated, “Unfortunately, what you can do with the ball is limited. It’s plastic. You’ve got little racquets like you’re playing racquetball or squash. But a lot of my buddies like to play with me. They think they can beat me.”

READ MORE: ‘..Makes Me Feel Like Chris Evert’ – Andre Agassi’s Latest Foray Into Pickleball With His American Tennis Foes Irks Tennis World

All in all, as McEnroe is getting older, he wants to keep his body in good shape. But tennis is a strenuous sport, so pickleball is doing the job for him.

McEnroe feels that pickleball might help tennis

This is something that McEnroe has expressed earlier too. Keeping his bias secured for tennis, just like his former rival, Andre Agassi, McEnroe feels that it can help tennis grow.

The issue of declining popularity of tennis in the USA has bothered a lot of tennis stars. And McEnroe is of the view that it can be restored with the help of pickleball, as few of his friends have become inquisitive about tennis after playing pickleball. He reiterated the same point in The Pat McAfee show and hoped for a growing interest in tennis.

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Do you think pickleball can really help tennis grow? Or will it replace the sport? Let us know your views in the comments below.