Ex tennis No 1 Khazan says pickleball rising fast but trails tennis
Pickleball is making progress but still has a ways to go before it can reach the level of a sport like tennis, according to former No 1 Israeli tennis star Deniz Khazan
Ex tennis No 1 Khazan says pickleball rising fast but trails tennis originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Deniz Khazan has competed at a high level in two different sports, and she has a good perspective on how they compare.
The former Israeli tennis No 1 and International Tennis Federation title winner has transitioned into professional pickleball, where she now plays on the sportโs growing circuit. As pickleball continues to bring more attention and talent, people are starting to compare it with tennis more. Khazan believes the progress is real, but a gap remains.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deniz Khazan// ืื ืื ืืื (@deniz_khazaniuk) โThe level in pickleball has improved dramatically in a very short time,โ Khazan said. โYou can see it in the athleticism, the strategy, the way points are constructed. But compared to the tennis tour, it is still not at that level yet.
โ Khazan, 30, says that overall depth is the biggest difference right now. Back when she was a tennis player competing at international events she faced opponents with high experience levels no matter which round it was. That type of consistency isnโt really present fully yet in pickleball.