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Leuven’s Anne Servaes competes at World Pickleball Championships in Vietnam: “The sport deserves more recognition”

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • The World Pickleball Championships in Đà Nẵng have brought together about 5,000 athletes, including Belgian teams in the 19+ and 50+ categories.
  • Leuven player Anne Servaes says pickleball combines competition and enjoyment but remains relatively little known in Belgium.
  • Servaes hopes Belgium can win a match despite a difficult draw that includes Australia.

Anne Servaes wants Belgium’s pickleball team to win in Vietnam, but she also hopes the tournament will help put the sport on the map at home.

The Leuven player is in Đà Nẵng for the World Pickleball Championships, a tournament involving about 5,000 athletes. Belgium has sent two teams, each made up of three men and three women, competing in the 19+ and 50+ categories.

Pickleball has a great competitive and fun side. In my view, the sport could become better known.

— Anne ServaesShe described pickleball’s appeal and argued that it deserves more attention in Belgium.

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton. Players use a small paddle and a perforated plastic ball on a court the size of a badminton court. Servaes plays at a club in Bierbeek, but says Belgium still lacks the large number of well-established clubs found elsewhere.

“Pickleball has a great competitive and fun side. In my view, the sport could become better known,” Servaes said. She added that pickleball is more popular than padel in the United States and Asia, and that Vietnam offers many courts and venues for the sport.

It would be great if we could win somewhere. But we certainly did not get an easy draw, with difficult opponents.

— Anne ServaesShe discussed Belgium’s prospects at the championship.

The championship began with men’s and women’s singles, followed by doubles and mixed doubles. Finals in all disciplines are scheduled for September 6. Servaes said a victory would be welcome, although Belgium faces difficult opponents, including Australia, which she described as a major pickleball country.

The matches are available through a YouTube livestream, although Servaes noted that coverage depends on the court being used. She also called for Belgium’s team to receive a name, similar to the Belgian Red Lions and Red Panthers.

It would be nice if our team had a name, like the Belgian Red Lions or Red Panthers. All suggestions are welcome.

— Anne ServaesShe suggested giving Belgium’s pickleball team an official nickname.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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