No conflict with pickleball, says tennis chief
Dato Patrick Liew
KUCHING (April 29): Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) president Dato Patrick Liew believes tennis will continue to grow despite the increasing popularity of pickleball.
He does not see any conflict between the two racket sports.
'I don't think it's anything conflict with tennis. It's two different games. One (tennis) is professional and long-term development. One (pickleball) is a community and social game.
'So I think it should go hand in hand. So those who can continue to perform well in tennis, why not? If those who are unable to perform, like older people or (affected by) injury, they take up pickleball, I think it's okay. At least they exercise. Not hard for them,' he said.
Liew made these remarks after the prize presentation for 42nd Premier Sarawak (l) ITF World Junior Tour J300 Kuching at SLTA Centre on Sunday.
The 42nd Premier Sarawak tournament was the fifth organised by SLTA within a space of two months.
The earlier tournaments were Asia Oceania Pre-Qualifying for the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors, Asia Oceania Pre-Qualifying for the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors for Davis Cup Juniors, Asia-Oceania Final Qualifying ITF World Junior Tennis U14 Girls and Asia-Oceania Final Qualifying ITF World Junior Tennis U14 Boys.
Liew revealed that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had allocated around USD100,000 to help with running the tournaments while Sarawak government through Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Ministry allocated RM80,000.
He noted that ITF senior manager Catherine Michie has indicated that SLTA is capable of hosting bigger tournaments.
'The most important thing here is our community commitment, support from media and so on. And we definitely continue to promote tennis,' he added. conflict Patrick Liew pickleball tennis
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Tang Jie-Ee Wei go down fighting to Thai pair in semis
Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei lost 23-21, 14-21, 11-21 to Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : National mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei fought their hearts out in the Indonesia Open semi-final but succumbed to in-form Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran in three games. The Thai pair came from a game down to defeat the reunited Tang Jie-Ee Wei 21-23, 21-14, 21-11 in a match that lasted 65 minutes at the Istora Stadium in Jakarta. Dechapol-Supissara had won the last three BWF World Tour championships – the Malaysia Masters, the Thailand Open and the Singapore Open – and are now poised to win their fourth consecutive title. It was the third time that Tang Jie-Ee Wei have lost to the Thai pair in their four encounters so far. In the final tomorrow, the Thais will take on the winners of the match between French pair Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue and China's Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi. Tang Jie-Ee Wei have yet to enter a final this year. Last year, they won the Korea Open title and were the losing finalists at the World Tour 1000 Super series finals in China. As beaten semi-finalists in the Indonesian Open, the Malaysian duo take home US$20,300 (RM85,898).
Free Malaysia Today
10 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Ligament injury could sideline Tze Yong for a year
National singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the recent Malaysia Masters. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : National men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong could be out of top-level competition for up to a year after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the recent Malaysia Masters. Badminton Association of Malaysia singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said Tze Yong is scheduled to undergo surgery, but the date had not been set. 'What I understand is that the stronger you can get before the surgery, the better your recovery will be. Everything we're doing right now is to give him the best chance to have a successful surgery,' he told reporters in Bukit Kiara today. He said there were also some bruises and swelling that need to go away. Jonassen said he is confident that Tze Yong will find inspiration from the experience of Spain's former Olympic champion Carolina Marin, who returned strongly after similar injuries, and make a comeback when the time is right. 'I can't speak for him (about the early retirement question), but from my understanding, he is very motivated to come back. As long as there's motivation, we must follow the path. We're taking inspiration from other top athletes who have managed to bounce back. I believe in Tze Yong's ability and determination,' he added. With Tze Yong's absence, Jonassen revealed plans to strengthen the senior men's singles squad by grooming juniors who are transitioning to the senior level this year. 'It's always a tough blow when one of your best players is out due to injury. But we will keep working hard to develop the next generation,' he said. This morning, the Badminton Association of Malaysia confirmed that Tze Yong will undergo knee surgery after scans revealed the ACL injury. 'It's tough to accept, especially after all the hard work leading up to this point, but I know this is just another challenge to overcome. I'm staying positive, following the prehab plan, and I'm fully focused on coming back stronger. I also want to thank all my fans for the kind messages – it really means a lot to me,' said Tze Yong. Tze Yong has suffered various injuries, including a muscle tear in his back followed by a spinal injury since last year and underwent a long period of rest and rehabilitation before returning to action in the Badminton Asia Championship 2025 in Ningbo, China, in April.
Free Malaysia Today
11 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Pearly-Thinaah, Wei Chong-Kai Wun through to Indonesia Open semis
Women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah won the first game against Japan's Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi easily, but were made to sweat in the second. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah cruised into the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open after a convincing win over Japan's Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi in straight games in Jakarta today. The Malaysian world No 4 pair won the first game easily but had to work hard in the second before defeating the fifth ranked Japanese duo 21-6, 21-18 in 36 minutes at Istora Senayan. It was their fourth win over the Japanese duo in six encounters. Pearly-Thinaah will meet Chinese pair Li Yi Jing-Luo Xi Min who beat Japan's Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto in another quarter-final. Men's doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun also booked their place in the semi-finals after defeating India's top pair in straight games. The world No 7 pair, who won the Malaysia Masters last month, defeated Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy 21-19, 21-16 in a match lasting 43 minutes. They will face either compatriots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani or Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Reza Pahlevi Isfahani from Indonesia next. It was Wei Chong-Kai Wun's first win over the 22nd ranked Indian pair in their five encounters, and their third semi-final appearance this season. They hope to repeat their performance at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta in January, when they clinched the title. They also won the Malaysia Masters last month after defeating compatriots Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the final.
