DALLAS, TX - Vince Van Patten doesn’t have anything to prove athletically.

He was once a top-30 ranked tennis player on the ATP Tour before curating a robust acting career and becoming a lead commentator for the World Poker Tour.

And though he retired from tennis over three decades ago, he revealed in an interview with Awful Announcing that his athletic focus has shifted to pickleball to recapture that competitive spirit.

“I never thought that I wanted to be on a tennis court again, but pickleball is different,” he shared. “It’s fun, and it reminds me of the old days when I was grinding to make it as a pro.”

Van Patten is finding success in that effort to make it as a pickleball pro. He’s ranked No. 6 in the APP’s AARP Champions Pro Singles division.

Aside from the competitive aspect, though, Van Patten says it’s the social element of the sport that sets it apart.

“You meet more friends in pickleball than in any other sport because you’re so close, and everybody is in a good mood,” he observed. “Coming from tennis, you wait 30-40 minutes for them to end the set and get more people out there, but in pickleball, every 10 minutes the game changes over, so it moves really quickly. It’s delightful.”

Van Patten continues his pickleball journey at the State Farm APP U.S. Indoor Championships this week in Rosemont, IL.

Cover photo credit: Drew Amato