Jake Elliott’s Tennis Roots Shine in Pickleball: Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott made waves in the pickleball world last summer with a behind-the-back shot that went viral on social media. The highlight came during the second annual Make The World Better (MTWB) Pickleball Tournament in Sea Isle, NJ, an event raising funds for public space revitalization in Philadelphia. Elliott, alongside former teammate Beau Allen, won the Advanced Division, but it was his trick shot that grabbed the most attention.
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Tennis Roots and Love for Pickleball
Elliott, 30, has long been skilled with a racket. Before his football career, he was a standout tennis player at Lyons Township High School in Illinois. His natural instincts from tennis carried over to pickleball, making his viral shot seem effortless.
“I didn’t think it was a huge setting. It was a tournament we were just messing around at, and I was shocked at the response the video got. It definitely blew up,”. “That’s just the natural tennis instincts coming back, so watching how that has translated for me has been a lot of fun.”(Jake Elliott, a two-time Super Bowl champion)
Although he doesn’t play regularly during the NFL season, Elliott enjoys pickleball as an offseason hobby.
“One of my old high school teammates lives in Arizona. A couple of years ago, he invited me out to play pickleball a few times with a group, and I kind of just fell in love with it. It’s a great offseason hobby, and it kind of scratches that tennis itch, too,” (Jake Elliott).
Balancing Football, Family, and Pickleball
Between his football career and fatherhood—his son, Beau, was born in July 2023—Elliott has limited time for pickleball. However, he believes his skillset could transfer well to the sport.
“My hands could translate well from tennis to pickleball. I’ve always had good hands, and you need good hands at the net. You’ve also got to have quick reaction time, and I think that could translate to the pickleball court, too,”.(Jake Elliott)
He admitted to spending time watching pickleball highlights online and is eager to explore tournament play in the future.
Elliott has also influenced his Eagles teammate, punter Braden Mann, to take up pickleball.
“We have a little makeshift pickleball court in our parking lot at the practice facility, so we’ve played a couple of games out there when we have downtime during training camp and we’re looking to burn a couple of hours,”. “Braden’s just a natural athlete, so he picked it up really quickly. He’s fun to hit around with.”(Jake Elliott)
A Future in Pickleball?
While Elliott remains focused on football, he isn’t ruling out a competitive pickleball future.
“It would be fun to make a push at anything in another competitive setting, whether it would be golf or pickleball, so we’ll see. I’m sure that when I’m done with football, I’m going to have the itch for something. Pickleball could be fun,”. “It’s something that brings in the agility part of football and it brings those competitive juices back.”(Jake Elliott)
The Eagles kicker is under contract with Philadelphia through 2028, but his growing interest in pickleball suggests he might one day test his skills beyond viral social media moments.
News in Brief: Jake Elliott’s Tennis Roots Shine in Pickleball
Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott made headlines with a viral pickleball shot during a charity tournament. The former tennis player enjoys pickleball as an offseason hobby and has influenced teammate Braden Mann to play. While focused on football, Elliott sees pickleball as a possible future sport once his NFL career ends.
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