Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. What are the chances that the combination of badminton, table tennis and tennis will spread to Europe?
Tennisplaza went to Florida for a virtual coffee with 31-year-old Tamaryn ‘Tammy’ Emmrich (formerly Hendler, remember her?), ex-WTA-178 and originally Belgian. Her husband Martin Emmrich, German and 35th in the doubles ranking in 2013, joined.
The couple has a 3-year-old daughter, Gabriella (‘Gabby’), has been happily married since 2018, and looked for and found their way to pickleball together. Togetherbut only that next the terrain. What’s up with that?
“We used to play together, but because we want our marriage to last, we stopped,” they laugh in unison. Martin and Tammy play (often) with the Slovakian Tina Pisnik, also a former top tennis player. “I got her interested in pickleball at the time because I was looking for a doubles partner,” says Tammy. “We are as good as neighbors, so that is practical too.”
We spoke to Tammy and Martin just after their tournament in Cincinnati, USA. Martin had the opportunity to train with the world’s number 1 mixed doubles, Ben Johns and Anna Li. Tammy in turn played against players from the top 3 and that went more than well. The Belgian even managed to steal a set from the top players. “It was the first time we played a match like PPA Signed Pros (PPA stands for ‘Professional Pickleball Association’ and is therefore comparable to the WTA and ATP in tennis, ed.). We officially joined a few weeks ago.”
Pickleball at the US Open
“A few months ago we played in New York on the site of the US Open (Grand Slam). In Cincinnati, the tournament took place on the grounds of the Western & Southern Open (ATP and WTA 1000). The dressing room, players’ lounge… Not much had changed and that brought back fond memories,” Tammy muses.
The stadiums may be the same at the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, but what about the crowd? “In terms of atmosphere and conviviality, pickleball is on par with tennis,” says Martin. “That’s like tennis, although it is more comparable to a beach volleyball tournament. For example, there is a DJ who entertains the supporters between games. It is not as quiet as a tennis match and that is allowed.”
“We have traveled all over the States in recent weeks for pickleball tournaments,” says Tammy. “Next year we want to play 20 PPA tournaments, which is a lot. It has really become a full-time activity.”
(read more below the photo)
Tamaryn ‘Tammy’ Emmrich – © Love and Style Photography
Community Instagram
Even though the couple does not form a duo on the track Team Emmrich yes one joint Instagram account about their pickleball adventures. “Pickleball gets a lot of attention on social media and that offers opportunities for sponsors,” explains Tammy. “Like any athlete, we are also continuously looking for opportunities to collaborate with companies. In our search for sponsors, we were asked again and again about our Instagram. So we thought it was logical to set up something like this. It is not always easy to post enough, but we do our best.”
(read more under the Instagram posts)
Equal prize money in pickleball
No one better placed than the Emmrich family to explain to us how pickleball works with perhaps the most thorny topic in the sport: equal prize money.
“In general, men may earn a little more than women in pickleball thanks to certain sponsorship deals, but the prize money in our sport is completely evenly distributed,” says Tammy. “The PPA has laid it down this way since the founding of the Tour. Martin and I earn the same amount.”
“Men and women play the same number of sets in pickleball, so I think that’s only logical,” Martin adds. “From a commercial point of view, you see that there is just as much interest in men as in women. Whether a men’s or women’s match is played, the same number of people attend.”
Martin Emmrich – © Love and Style Photography
Pickleball vs. tennis: 10 points for atmosphere and conviviality
We already know that pickleball is a combination of badminton, table tennis and tennis, but what makes the sport so sexy in America and what is the big difference with tennis? “Pickleball is a sport that you quickly become addicted to,” says Tammy. “You can compare it with the impact of padel in Belgium.”
“I think the atmosphere also makes an important contribution to the success of pickleball,” says Martin. “I personally like the atmosphere better than tennis. There is an enthusiastic atmosphere among the fans, especially at the US Open, but at other tournaments it is much calmer. At pickleball the audience is very noisy, but at the same time the atmosphere is friendly and family-like vibe. Did you know that every fan is entitled to a cocktail per match?” (winks)
“That fact also makes it interesting for sponsors. In the States, the sport can count on gigantic sponsorship amounts and that is a good thing, because in terms of prize money there is a lot less to distribute than in tennis.”
Pickleball vs. tennis: sport for old(er) people?
“Sometimes pickleball is labeled as a sport for older people, but at our level that is absolutely not the case,” Martin wants to make it clear. “All players do physical training, some even bring their own physios to the tournament.”
“You run less in pickleball, but the sprints are intensive. You have to take a lot of small steps and rallies are generally longer, especially at a higher level. Your brain also needs to be more engaged than in tennis or you’re in danger to turn yourself off and half a set is over after two minutes.”
“In pickleball the sets are a lot shorter than in tennis. The goal is to be the first to win eleven games. While in tennis you can sometimes easily come back if you are down 0-3 or 1-4, in pickleball this is virtually impossible if you lose your focus for a moment,” Tammy agrees.
“In pickleball the tables are not as big as in tennis,” Tammy further explains. “There are 30 to 60 teams per table and if you get far, you play four to six matches in one day. You only get a fifteen minute break between matches. You can imagine: during my tennis career I never suffered from cramps, but now I do. Not only do my knees sometimes have a hard time during tournaments, my feet also hurt more than before. Really: every two weeks Marin and I need a new pair of shoes.” (laughs)
Next week in part 2: with Gabby at a tournament and Tammy’s extra income
Next Tuesday, Tammy and Martin Emmrich will talk about the challenge of taking daughter Gabby to a tournament in part 2 of our interview. We also find out what extra income Tammy has available and which country the couple would like to play for if pickleball ever becomes an Olympic sport. Still Belgium or…?
Follow Team Emmrich on InstagramFacebook (Tammy Emmrich / Martin Emmrich) in Tammy Emmrich op X.
2023-10-05 11:01:33
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