Roscoe Bellamy’s Pickleball journey: Roscoe Bellamy, a former top-ranked youth tennis player in the U.S., shared his journey into pro pickleball on the Pickleballers podcast. After years of injuries stalled his tennis dreams, a suggestion from his mother led him to try pickleball. By 2023, he had gone all-in, winning his first tournament and finding a new path in the sport.
Growing Up in a Tennis Family
Roscoe Bellamy was born into a tennis-focused family. “I grew up in a tennis family. I’m one of four boys as you guys know,” he said. His dad founded the Tennis Channel, and his mother was a professional tennis player, once ranked in the top 20.
“I felt like my identity was kind of tennis,” Roscoe said. He was homeschooled for tennis and started playing at five. At age 15, while ranked number one in the U.S., he suffered a back fracture. “I had a back fracture that literally lasted three years,” he explained.
He continued his tennis journey at the University of California, Los Angeles, but struggled due to ongoing injuries. “I had two hip surgeries in college,” he said. Despite his efforts, tennis became harder to pursue.
Discovering Pickleball
Roscoe’s mother introduced him to pickleball, seeing it as a good social and professional opportunity. “My mom started playing pickleball… she was the number one senior pro in the world,” Roscoe said.
She urged him for six months before he gave in. “I hopped on the pickleball court for like 10 minutes with them and I was literally hooked.” Despite his tennis background, his first attempts at pickleball were difficult. “No, I was bad,” he admitted. “It was very, very humbling, honestly.”
In February 2023, Matt Manasse invited him to a tournament in Florida. “Yo, there’s a tournament in Florida. $10,000 to the winner. Also, the winners get to play Agassi and Roddick.” It was part of the Pickleball Slam on ESPN.
Roscoe won that amateur tournament and got to play Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. “This is my first pickleball tournament. I just won 10 grand and I get to play Agassi and Roddick in the finals,” he said. “I’ve never done anything like this in tennis.”
Building Friendships in the Sport
That tournament also led to a key meeting with Jared, a content creator and mentor in the pickleball world. Roscoe met him during dinner and later at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. “Jared was standing there. He was just telling me jokes the whole time and I was like, this guy’s hilarious,” Roscoe said.
Jared and Roscoe have stayed close since. “I think Jared and I have literally talked every day since,” he said. Jared also supported Roscoe’s entry into pro pickleball: “He just kind of like mentored me through the whole thing.”
Roscoe also mentioned content creator Matt Manasse: “Shout out Pickleball McNasty. I love Pickball. Still have a lot of love for him.”
New Path, New Goals
Though Roscoe once dreamed of becoming America’s next top tennis player, his future now lies in pickleball. Jared once called him “the future number one pickleball player” on The Kitchen’s channels. “I think you’re still going to get there,” Jared said.
Roscoe has now been playing for two years. “It’s what I do full-time. It’s why I’m doing this podcast,” he said.
News in Brief: Roscoe Bellamy’s Pickleball Journey
Roscoe Bellamy shared how his tennis career was slowed by injuries, but a push from his mother helped him discover pickleball. After winning his first tournament in 2023, he made the switch to pro pickleball. With strong mentors like Jared and early success, he now plays full-time.
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