Nick Kyrgios wants to play pickleball with Patrick Mahomes (Image via IMAGO/ Instagram)
Nick Kyrgios wants to play pickleball with Patrick Mahomes. The tennis star caught up with the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback at Wimbledon.
On July 5, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes were in Wimbledon to cheer for countrymen Frances Tifaoe. The 29th-ranked player in the world was scheduled to take on the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Unfortunately, the game did not go according to Tifaoe’s plans as he had to retire after picking up an injury. After Alcaraz won the game, Mahomes congratulated the Spaniard and Tifaoe on social media.
Later that afternoon while exiting the court, Mahomes met with Kyrgios who was on his way to the practice court for a session with Novak Djokovic. The Chiefs quarterback was surprised to see Kyrgios near the exit but chatted for a while.
Later the Aussie posted a photo with Mahomes with a request.
The prospect of two of the biggest names in sports going head-to-head in Pickleball excited ‘Pickleball chick’ Kaitlyn Kerr herself. Kerr replied in Kyrgios’ post,“Yes Please!!!”
For those who are unfamiliar with Pickleball, it’s a sport that was created in Washington with three friends Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum in 1965. Pritchard came up with the name ‘Pickleball’ after taking a cue from non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races per the official website of USA Pickleball.
It’s similar to lawn tennis but the court is a lot smaller and instead of using net rackets, players use larger table tennis bats. The sport is mostly limited to the United States and its adjoining countries but the popularity has been on the rise.
In December 2022, several big shots from various backgrounds reportedly bankrolled teams in the Major League Pickleball tournament. Some of the names included NBA Stars Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, and Chiefs Patrick Mahomes per Forbes.
While the publication wasn’t aware of an exact number, the investment could be between $1 million to $3 million. Further investments could be on the cards as the league looks to expand. Initially, there were 8 teams during its inaugural 2021 season which increased to 12 the following year. Reportedly, the league committee aims to add 12 more teams in the coming seasons.
It’s still unclear how much Patrick Mahomes invested in the sport. However, judging by Kyrgios’ recent social media post, it will not surprise anyone that there’s a new development on the horizon.