A dig at Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios? Rennae Stubbs shades tennis players who invested in Pickleball, says they should be doing it in tennis instead

Former Australian tennis player Rennae Stubbs recently expressed her opinion on tennis players investing in pickleball.

Pickleball is a relatively new sport that combines tennis, badminton, and ping pong. Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios, and Kim Clijsters have made investments in the sport by owning pickleball teams that play in the Major League Pickleball (MLP) 2023.

Rennae Stubbs claimed that she would not invest in a pickleball franchise and would never watch the sport on television. She also voiced her perplexity at tennis players opting to invest in pickleball rather than tennis, which has helped them become wealthy.

“Just to let everyone know, I will NOT be investing in a Pickleball franchise & will never turn a tv on to watch Pickleball. I would rather watch pain dry. Why all these tennis players think Pickleball is worth investing in & not the game that made them all the $$$ is beyond me,” wrote Rennae Stubbs on Twitter.

While several players like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Andy Murray, and John Isner have expressed support for pickleball, Rennae Stubbs has been outspoken in her disapproval of the emerging sport. Stubbs previously claimed on social media that watching the sport on television was "much worse" when it had subpar numbers on the CBS channel despite its rise in popularity.

"Because Pickleball is and it’s even worse to watch on tv!! Thursday Ratings: CBS Fails to Capitalize on the ‘Pickled’ Craze," Rennae Stubbs tweeted.

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Martina Navratilova displeased over Pickleball, the same as Rennae Stubbs

Martina Navratilova pictured during 2021 WTA Finals

Martina Navratilova also opposes the new sport, claiming that unlike the far more difficult sport of tennis, pickleball requires little effort to become successful.

Navratilova said that unless she is completely unable to run in the future, she won't get involved in the game.

"Biggest reason pickle ball is so popular, (in my not so humble opinion), is that you can be decent and feel successful rather quickly. Unlike tennis, which- in the words of my friend Joel Drucker- takes a long time not to suck" Martina Navratilova tweeted.

"It’s a great sport for sure:), will only play pickleball (who came up with that name?!?) if I can’t run at all anymore," she stated.

Martina Navratilova also argued against tennis courts being converted to pickleball courts. She stated that if pickleball is so popular that tennis courts may be replaced with pickleball courts, they could even construct their own courts without meddling with tennis.

"I say if pickleball is that popular let them build their own courts," Martina Navratilova wrote on Twitter.