One of Sam Groth’s biggest accomplishments is hitting the fastest recorded serve in tennis history at the 2012 Busan Open, which came in at 163.7 miles per hour.

It’s probably not possible (and definitely not safe) to hit a pickleball that fast, but that didn’t stop Groth—who now serves as a member of the Parliament of Victoria—from going to check out the Proton Australia Pickleball Open on Friday.

“It’s a bit of a change from the courts that I’m used to, but I know there are a bunch of ex-tennis players that have picked up the sport,” he said. “It’s so good to see a big pickleball event—an international event—here in Melbourne.”

We haven’t seen Groth compete on the pickleball court yet, but he does have a 1-0 career record in tennis against Jack Sock, who began competing full-time on the PPA Tour in 2024.

Groth says he would be surprised to find similar success against Sock on the 20x44.

“I beat Jack at Wimbledon one year, but I reckon he’d take me down in pickleball at the moment,” he admitted. “Maybe if I get a little bit of practice in, I can try and double up on that win.”

We won’t be seeing that matchup this weekend at the Melbourne Convention Center, but there’s plenty of action to watch on Pickleballtv as play continues with men and women’s doubles.