Simply because he’s not swimming, doesn’t imply that Michael Phelps‘ aggressive juices are waning.
Later this month, probably the most embellished Olympian in historical past will add pickleball to his resume when he performs in a particular celeb match on the season kickoff Desert Ridge Open match as a part of the Skilled Pickleball Affiliation Tour.
Moreover successful a document 28 Olympic medals, 23 of that are gold, Phelps has achieved success in different sports activities as nicely. His 159-foot putt in 2012 is the longest putt ever made in a televised spherical of golf.
Now he’ll take to the pickleball courts the place he’ll face off in opposition to future NFL Corridor of Famer Larry Fitzgerald in a sequence of celeb matches.
The 36-year outdated Phelps will face off in opposition to the 38-year outdated Fitzgerald, who performed final season for the Arizona Cardinals however whose retirement from the NFL seems eminent. Fitzgerald ranks second all-time in NFL profession receiving yards, second all-time in profession receptions, and sixth all time in receiving touchdowns.
Occasion Particulars:
Date: Friday, January twenty eighth, 2022
Time: 7 PM MST
Location: JW Marriott Resort & Spa Desert Ridge
Format:
Males’s Match: 1 sport to 11 (Larry/Male Professional vs. Michael/Male Professional)
Combined Match: 1 sport to 11 (Larry/Feminine Professional vs. Michael/Feminine Professional)
Tiebreaker: In case of a tie, we’ll have a singles sport 1 sport to 7
Pickleball is a paddle-and-net sport that’s just like tennis on a fundamental degree, although it has extra similarities to the sports activities of padel or paddle tennis. Opponents stand on the alternative facet of a web and hit a ball backwards and forwards utilizing a paddle that’s greater than a desk tennis or ping-pong racket however smaller than a tennis racquet.
The courtroom is lower than half of the dimensions of a tennis courtroom, and the ball is a tough plastic whiffle ball, which inspires extra fast-paced on the web play. A sport that depends as closely on technique and finesse as a lot as energy and athleticism, the game encompasses a “non-volley zone” that retains athletes away from the web. Which means hitting the ball tender may be as efficient as hitting the ball laborious.
The Boston Globe final yr stated that pickleball is rising at an “nearly unprecedented charge” and is billed because the fastest-growing sport in America.
Whereas there aren’t any indicators of Phelps’ pickleball prowess on his social media channels, there’s loads of proof that he has remained lively in his retirement. That features plenty of posts him {golfing}, horseback driving, frequent posts about his health work, and even the occasional shadow of a swim.
Fitzgerald can be an avid golfer, however he likewise has not posted any indication of his pickleball expertise.
This newly-announced occasion is a part of a rapidly-evolving skilled pickleball scene. The PPA Tour was based in 2018, however was lately bought by billionaire Tom Dundon. Together with purchases of Pickleball Central, the game’s largest retailer, and PickleballTournaments.com, the game’s largest match platform, Dundon is pushing a variety of new cash into the sport in an evolution that feels just like the inroads by billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin and his Worldwide Swimming League into the game of swimming in the previous few years.
Dundon can be the bulk proprietor of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and of the TopGolf firm, which is a series of entertainment-focused golf driving ranges.