OPINION
HOLDING
C O U R T by BRENT HEARN
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IWanted: Singles Players
In the past, it’ s been an all-too-familiar sight: two people across the net from one another, laser-focused on the task at hand: blowing up GroupMe to lure more players to the courts.
These days, you might catch the pair doing the previously unthinkable and actually playing singles. There also seems to be an uptick of players who aren’ t
waiting for circumstance to dictate their decision. From new faces in my last singles ladder league to robust sign-ups for a nearby singles DUPR night, to a local tournament’ s 3.5 division bursting at the seams, I’ ve seen an increase in players who are at least singles-curious.
Granted, none of this exactly points toward a seismic shift from doubles toward mano a mano pickle. Singles can still be a hard sell at the rec level. Ask a random sampling of players if they’ re down for singles, and many of them will act as if they’ d rather be on the receiving end of an amateur colonoscopy:“ Noooo, thank you— too much running for me!”“ Nah, you can take your mini tennis somewhere else.”“ What’ s a singles?” There are multiple( very good) reasons why singles plays second fiddle to doubles in pickleball:
• The social element of pickleball has been a huge driver of its growth. Two is less than four, which means singles is only half as social, in theory. In practice, the open play dynamics of doubles make a mockery of that math. You can meet literally dozens of new people while playing or waiting to rotate in, while you’ re only interacting with your opponent when you play singles( unless you count your inner monologue berating you for that boneheaded attempt at a down-the-line winner off the back foot).
• Singles is hard work. Staying active is often cited as one of the reasons people play pickleball, but many social players don’ t want to be that active. You’ re covering( at least) twice as much court as you would in doubles, but again, you can toss the math out the window. Anyone who’ s ever played singles knows it can feel like considerably more than twice the exertion.
• Too many cooks and not enough kitchens. Though it may seem like constructing pickleball courts is second only in popularity to collecting Labubus, there are still plenty of locales facing a short-court shortage. Supply simply can’ t keep up with demand, and when you have antsy players jonesing for their pickle fix, it can be hard to justify reducing a court’ s maximum occupancy by half.
None of these very sensible explanations for the dominance of doubles, however, can detract from a simple truth: at its best, singles pickleball can be dingdarn exciting to watch and an absolute blast to play.
If you really want to gain an appreciation for the intricacies of singles, suck it up, head to the courts, and play a few games. Your stamina and your waistline will thank you.
If you still find yourself in the“ But doubles is my jam!” camp, consider this: singles can do wonders for your serve, your drives, and your mental toughness, all of which pay dividends in doubles.
Think singles is just for the fresh-faced( and freshlegged) youngsters? Tell that to 41-year-old Ryler DeHeart, who recently took his first gold at the GEICO APP Tour Championships.
Running out of excuses yet? Just get out there and give it a go. You may just find a whole new reason to go bonkers over this beautiful, maddening game we all love. •
Brent Hearn(@ sydescroll on Instagram) is a writer, developer, musician, and pickleballer based in Mississippi.
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