We reported recently that James Blake, as Tournament Director of the Miami Open, said, “We are delighted to welcome both wheelchair tennis players and MLP stars to this year’s Miami Open.”
However, it would appear his first love is still most definitely tennis, as he took pickleball professional Christian Alshon to task for a comment the latter made on X a few days ago.
“Pickleball Requires More Skill Than Tennis”
“Pickleball has made me a much better athlete than Tennis ever did. Faster reaction time and speed are needed since the ball is only coming from 10 feet away. Point for point, pickleball requires more skill than tennis,” he wrote.
Alshon took up pickleball in June 2021. Previously, he’d been a bit of a hotshot on the tennis court for the University of Chicago and interestingly won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III championship a couple of weeks before shifting roles. Alshon currently occupies fifth place in the PPA men’s singles rankings.
Pickleball has made me a much better athlete than Tennis ever did. Faster reaction time and speed are needed since the ball is only coming from 10 feet away. Point for point, pickleball requires more skill than tennis.
— Christian Alshon (@TweenerKing) April 2, 2024
Good Lord
Former World Tennis No. 4 James Blake came straight back at Alshon, posting, “Haha. That might be because you were playing a pretty low level of tennis. Maybe if you were familiar with the athleticism it takes to excel at the sport, you would realize how ridiculous this statement is.”
@RyanPohle, however, was firmly in Alshon’s corner, writing, “I like James a lot, but Alshon was the seventh-ranked recruit in the 2019 class. Low level of tennis? Good lord.”
This comment only seemed to incense Blake further, who then really went for the jugular: “He has the same number of division 1 college wins as my daughter. (She’s 11).”
He has the same number of division 1 college tennis wins as my daughter. (She’s 11)
— James Blake (@JRBlake) April 2, 2024
Ryan Pohle (yes, him again) rather confusingly now seemed to disapprove of both comments when he posted, “Alshon’s point of pickleball requiring more skill than tennis is obviously ridiculous, but so was James attacking a mid-12s tennis ability.”
Jessica Pegula
Suddenly, World Tennis Single #5 Jessica Pegula got in on the act and replied to Blake’s comment with a chilling skull emoji… actually three of them!
She was undoubtedly feeling fearless after beating Amanda Anisimova 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in the second round of the Charleston Open. Pegula was facing Pole Magda Linette in the third round of the Charleston Open. Owing to her number one seeding, she received a bye in the first round.
Australian tennis coach Rennae Stubbs also decided to weigh in on Alshon’s controversial view, urging him to retract the contentious comment. Her message, posted on X, was accompanied by a string of crying-laughing face emojis.
“Dude, you really need to delete this tweet,” she commented.
Stubbs, a familiar figure on the WTA circuit from the early nineties until the late 2010s, boasts an impressive resume, including four women’s doubles and two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.
Christian Alshon
Christian Alshon grew up in Boca Ration, Florida, and began playing pickleball in June 2021, two weeks after he won the Division III NCAA championship for the University of Chicago. That season, he went 18-0 in singles.
He has been quoted as saying, “My tennis background highly contributes to my success in pickleball. Specifically, my doubles skills in tennis transfer over very well regarding eye-hand coordination.”
Alshon is known for his tweeners and trick shots. Indeed, his username on his X account is “@tweenerking”. You will often see friends and neighbor (and apparently ex-girlfriend) Anna Leigh Waters cheering him on from the sidelines!
