Mustafa Khan Pickleball Transition: Mustafa Khan, a former tennis and football player, is set to compete in three categories at the Arena One Open in Kolkata: men’s 35-plus singles, open singles, and men’s doubles. Playing pickleball almost four times a week, he balances his sport with work and business commitments.
From Tennis to Pickleball
Khan finds singles play easier due to his tennis background. “Transitioning into singles pickleball was easier because I had previously played a lot of singles tennis. But as far as doubles go, it’s a bit of a transition because doubles, once you start playing at an advanced level, then you have to start focusing on your dinking game and the resets and things like that. That is something that doesn’t come very naturally to tennis players. Generally speaking, tennis players struggle with dinking and other aspects of the game. So, still trying to get the hang of it, but getting better,” he explained.
While drives and volleys help in singles, doubles require adjustments. “The drives and the volleys that we used to do, that works well for singles. But then again, once you start playing doubles, you don’t really get to drive too much. Plus, the volleys, the tennis volley is a bit of a slice. You can do that when you’re playing singles, but when you’re playing doubles, that doesn’t work too much. That is why doubles is a challenge. Singles come a little more naturally,” Khan said.
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Learning Doubles Techniques
Khan is also unlearning some tennis habits to succeed in doubles. “For example, in doubles, we need to use our wrists a little more when we play pickleball. Plus, the volleys are more of a drive volley when we’re playing pickleball, it’s like a roll, not a slice volley that we used to do in tennis. Then there’s the dinking game that we do from the kitchen. You need a lot of patience. Additionally, this is a smaller area, so you must ensure the ball drops within the kitchen area. That is also something new for tennis players. So, that’s a bit of a challenge. We have to do a lot of unlearning there. But hopefully, the singles thing is a little easier,” he said.
Tournament Plans and Partnerships
Looking ahead, Khan is focused on multiple events. “I’m playing the men’s 35 singles. I just turned 36 this year so that I can play the 35 singles. I’m playing that one, I’m playing the men’s open singles, and I’m playing the open doubles,” he said.
For doubles, Khan teams up with Rahil Sangrachka. “For the doubles, my partner is Rahil. So, we have a good time playing together. That is something I’m looking forward to. Rahil Sangrachka, we play together, and it’s always fun playing with him. Plus, Yash is there. I have a good time playing with him also,” he added.
Goals and Ambitions
Khan has clear objectives for the Arena One Open. “I’m hoping I win the 35 singles. I’m hoping I do well in the open singles as well. And since I’ve been practising the doubles pretty frequently with Rahil, and our teamwork has gotten better, I’m hoping that we can challenge some of the best players that might come,” he said.
News in Brief: Mustafa Khan Pickleball Transition
Mustafa Khan, a former tennis and football player, is competing in the Arena One Open in Kolkata across three categories: men’s 35-plus singles, open singles, and men’s doubles. He is adjusting his tennis skills to pickleball, learning doubles techniques, and aiming to reach the finals in all events while balancing work and training.
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