Tennis influencer Rachel Stahlman pushes back against pickleball narrative

fluencer Rachel Stuhlmann made it clear she doesn’t think pickleball is “wreaking havoc” on the game of tennis.

“[Pickleball] is not ‘wreaking havoc’ on tennis,” Stuhlmann said to Outkick. “I think pickleball is a great and healthy social activity for people. Sometimes it is annoying to go to courts and see that they’re being used as pickleball courts or converted into Pickleball courts.

Her comments came after she announced a partnership with Toss and Spin to make racquet sports more widely available. She did the promo while holding a pickleball racquet, which prompted some negative comments.

“When it comes to the two sports, it seems like right now more people play pickleball than watch it, and more people watch tennis than play it,” Stuhlmann added. “Pickleball is easy for anyone to pick up while tennis can be intimidating to some people. That’s why my mission has always been to make the sport more mainstream, relatable, and accessible.”

“Professional pickleball is interesting- what other sport can you pick up for the first time in your 20s, 30s, or 40s and be the top 10 ranked players in the world? No other sport.”

It’s one thing to be upset with tennis courts being overrun by pickleball players, but it’s quite another to be upset that a new – and widely accessible – sport is emerging.