Is Singles Pickleball Broken? Top Voices Call It ‘Mini Tennis’
What's the Score?
A recent opinion piece by Alex Lantz, Director of Content for The Kitchen, argues that modern singles pickleball has devolved into "mini tennis" and is fundamentally "not very interesting". This controversial view is supported by none other than the world No. 1 singles player, Federico Staksrud, and highlights perceived issues with strategy, player type, and competitive balance in the current singles format.
Hit it deeper!
The opinion piece, titled "Opinion: Federico Staksrud is right, modern singles pickleball has become 'mini tennis'," directly tackles the state of professional singles pickleball. Author Alex Lantz asserts that the format "has none of the redeeming qualities of actual pickleball (aka doubles)". He even goes as far as to state he would be "fine if it went away completely".
Lantz's perspective gained significant traction when the world No. 1 singles player, Federico Staksrud, echoed his sentiment on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "singles pickleball has become mini tennis at this point". Staksrud lamented the loss of "cat and mouse rallies" and hitting drops off thirds, suggesting the format was "a little more interesting to watch" "back in the day".
The opinion piece provides five key reasons why the author believes singles pickleball "stinks":
- Lack of recreational play: The author claims to have never seen singles played recreationally at local courts by anyone other than beginners.
- Missing pickleball nuance: According to the piece, singles lacks the complex strategy found in doubles, reducing points to simple sequences of powerful serves, returns, and passing shots that end quickly. It lacks hands battles, close interactions at the net, patient ball movement, Ernes, and ATPs.
- Tennis-like dominance: The format is described as dominated by "a 20-something former tennis stud who hits the crap out of the ball and relies heavily on athleticism over skill," contrasting with doubles where players of diverse backgrounds can succeed.
- Too easy to break through: The unsophisticated strategy, combined with modern paddles, allegedly allows many players with big forehands to compete at the pro level, leading to more upsets, such as the No. 65 seed Alexander Crum beating No. 1 seed Federico Staksrud. The author questions if everyone is "good" if so many can compete.
- Anna Leigh Waters' dominance: On the women's side, the author views the format as the "Anna Leigh Waters show" due to her overwhelming dominance (24-0 this season, only one game dropped). He suggests the women's singles draw in Atlanta is uncompelling because of her consistent victories.
While acknowledging that "freak athletes" occasionally produce highlight-reel plays, the author contends that for every great singles point, there are "100 bad singles points". Ultimately, the piece concludes by questioning why someone would watch singles pickleball, which resembles two players hitting hard from the baseline, when they could simply "watch tennis instead".
The World Pickleball Verdict
The opinion piece, amplified by the world No. 1 player's agreement, presents a sharp critique of the current state of professional singles pickleball. The arguments regarding simplistic strategy, the dominance of former tennis players, and the lack of classic pickleball elements like dinking battles and net play resonate with some observers who find the format less engaging than doubles. The overwhelming success of Anna Leigh Waters in women's singles does undeniably impact the competitive suspense in that specific draw. While the claim that "nobody plays it in the wild" might be an overstatement, it reflects a common perception that recreational play is overwhelmingly focused on doubles. The piece raises valid questions about whether the format, as currently played at the highest level, is maximising its potential for entertainment and strategic depth. The increasing number of upsets, while sometimes framed positively as "parity," is interpreted negatively here as a symptom of the game becoming too reliant on power and equipment rather than nuanced skill. This commentary suggests that for singles pickleball to thrive as a spectator sport, it may need to evolve to recapture some of the strategic complexity and varied player styles that define and make doubles pickleball so compelling.