Noah Rubin comes up short in tennis, ready to walk tall in pickleball

• Noah Rubin, who won junior Wimbledon in 2014, has quit tennis to pursue a career in pickleball.
• Pickleball is a paddle sport similar to tennis and badminton with a net and plastic ball.
• There are over 4.8 million players in the United States and a 40% increase in the last two years.

Noah Rubin has failed to live up to expectations since winning junior Wimbledon in 2014, and the American has opted to swap his racquet for a paddle in order to pursue a career in the fast-growing sport of pickleball.

Rubin, who measures 1.75m tall, announced last month that he will retire from tennis indefinitely. On Monday, he revealed his conversion to pickleball, mocking his height in a video uploaded on Twitter.

“It had been an uphill battle where the challenges seemed insurmountable,” said Rubin. “Even after it shouted in my face I didn’t get it. But it was the truth and I was finally ready to accept it.

“I’m short – yes it’s hard to say it out loud but it’s the truth – and the tennis court is way too big, there’s way too much ground to cover.”

Rubin said pickleball just clicked with him.

“This is where I belong. This is home now. And in this sport, size doesn’t matter.”

Pickleball, which was invented in 1965, is a fast-paced paddle sport similar to tennis and badminton, except it is played on a smaller court with a net and a perforated plastic ball.

According to a Sports and Fitness Industry Association survey released in February, it is the fastest-growing sport in the country, with over 4.8 million players in the United States and a 40% increase in the last two years.

Four-time NBA champion LeBron James’ LRMR Ventures is leading a new ownership group that is purchasing a Major League Pickleball team.

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