Jack Sock Dishes on This Weekend's Pickleball Slam

There is perhaps no better testament to tennis players embracing pickleball than Jack Sock.

Before retiring from professional tennis last year, he rose to be the number eight singles player in the world. He also dazzled in doubles and was once ranked number two on that front, amassing 17 titles, three Grand Slam trophies, and a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2016 Olympic Games.

"For some, there is animosity between tennis and pickleball. I'm happy to be a little bit of a bridge between the two," Sock tells New Times. "Two sports within the realm of racquet sports can coexist, and anyone who has actually played both knows they are both incredible and won't judge."

This weekend, Sock — now 31 years old and a top pickleball pro — will be joined by his fellow tennis legends willing to make the leap. Pickleball Slam 2 — also starring John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova, and James Blake — is going down at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Sunday, February 4. The event will be televised on ESPN, and a prize purse of $1 million is up for grabs.

The event will feature three marquee doubles matches with different pairings of McEnroe, Blake, and Sharapova versus Agassi, Graf, and Sock. In the spirit of a true competitor, Sock is confident his squad will emerge victorious.

"I would say for the team of [McEnroe, Sharapova, and Blake], it's looking very uphill," he says with a laugh. "They are going to need one of those one-in-a-million days where they are in the zone and playing so good they can't remember to even have a chance. In fact, I don't think that will be enough. We might need some sort of handicap system in place to give them some points — that's all I'm saying."
Trash talk aside, Sock knows the value that Pickleball Slam 2 brings to the sport. Last year's Slam, also held at the Hard Rock, televised on ESPN and featuring McEnroe, Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang, was a pickleball boon, generating some hilarious, viral Instagram reels of the former tennis pros navigating a court's "kitchen" and different-from-tennis rules. About last year's tournament, Sock says it was "massive for exposure."

According to the Sports & Fitness Association, Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. USA Pickleball says the number of players in the U.S. grew to 8.9 million last year. As for a pro tip for anyone new wanting to hit the court, Sock has some solid advice.

"Just practice and get those reps in," he says. "If you play tennis or have any sort of eye-hand coordination, you can figure out how to hit the wiffle ball over the net. And honestly, any new player should be spending a lot of time in or around the kitchen, working on their soft game. A lot of people panic up there, and you can use your skills up there in your favor."

For those in between total novice and total pickle pro, the 64-team Amateur Slam is happening on Lincoln Road on Saturday, February 3. Registered teams will compete for a $25,000 team prize, and the winners will get to square off against the Pickleball Slam 2 legends in what undoubtedly will be a match to remember.

Pickleball Slam 2. 8:30 p.m. Sunday, February 4, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; thepickleballslam.com. Tickets cost $40 to $156 via ticketmaster.com.