Another tennis star has revealed that they too have experimented with pickleball play. Naomi Osaka, who reached a career high of World No. 1 in 2019 and four-time Grand Slam Champion, posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) playing pickleball for the first time. 

At a gym in Japan, Osaka learns the basic rules like stepping into the kitchen and hitting the ball out of the air at the kitchen line, then plays a quick game of doubles. Though she hits her first ball into the net, Osaka clearly has a tennis background and easily hits some beautiful ground strokes and masterfully returns a lob (though us pickleball players would’ve known that the ball was going out). 

Additionally, it’s clear that Osaka has a little bit more of the fineness that pickleball takes. She’s gently hitting the ball back and not going for crazy power shots. With great footwork and reaction time, it’s clear that Osaka could really excel in pickleball like the other tennis pros who’ve made the switch. 

Compared to her usual wonderfully over-the-top fits she recently sported at the US Open, Osaka is in more casual wear with fit and flare leggings, a white cropped tee and sneakers. 

And at the end, Osaka has a big smile on her face even after her opponent hit a shot right to her feet that she couldn’t counter. It seems that the pickleball bug might have just caught its latest tennis pro.