The pickleball brand Selkirk has signed an endorsement deal with Jack Sock, as we have learned from The Dink and Selkirk itself. At the peak of his career, Sock was the number-eight singles (2017) and number-two (2018) doubles player on the ATP Tour. He will be endorsing the Luxx line of paddles.
In fact, a number of tennis pros are making the transition to the fastest-growing racquet sport in the US. Among them are Tyson McGuffin, now a five-time pickleball Grand Slam Champion; Andy Roddick, who has played some exhibition games, and Eugenie “Genie” Bouchard, the WTP’s newcomer of the year for 2013.
The brand I&G Pickleball speculates in an article on the subject that the sport – a cross between tennis, badminton and table tennis that is played on a tennis-like court – is similar enough for much of the technique to transfer. The court is tennis-like but smaller, placing fewer demands on the body, and the ball is lighter in weight, giving the joints less of a jolt with every hit. I&G also finds the sport “more social and relaxed” than tennis. In short, it’s a way for professional athletes to give their bodies a break while staying in the game, so to speak, and reducing the glare of the limelight, rather than step out of it altogether.
