Tina Pisnik’s tennis days were over.
It had been about 15 years since she last competed against some of the game’s best, wrapping up a career in which she was ranked among the top 30 women’s tennis players in the world. She had won a title on the WTA Tour, had represented her country of Slovenia in the Olympics, and earned nearly $1 million in prizes competing at the highest level for 16 years.
Back in Slovenia, Pisnik is a star – a celebrity that young fans clamor to get a picture with. Here, in the U.S., Pisnik left playing tennis behind and instead, began teaching it. She was in her second decade as an instructor when one of her friends told her about pickleball. Her response wasn’t out of the ordinary. In fact, it’s a pretty common one.
“I was like, ‘I’m not getting into that old-people sport,” Pisnik remembered. “But she convinced me and I went. At first, I thought, ‘OK, this is a decent workout,’ but after I played my first tournament, I was hooked. I forgot how much I missed competing.”
That was then. Now, Pisnik is back on the court competing – as a PPA Tour signed pickleball player with an impressive sports background.
Pisnik’s father played soccer for the Slovenian National Team and her mother was a high-level gymnast.
“I think…
