Roscoe Bellamy’s Pickleball Winning Formula: Roscoe Bellamy, a rising star in the world of professional pickleball, turned pro in 2023, building on a lifetime of tennis experience. On November 5, 2024, the 12th-seeded player in singles offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at what a typical day in his life looks like during the Lapiplasty Pickleball World Championships. Bellamy’s approach to preparation, strategy, and adaptability proves why he’s one of the sport’s players to watch.
Early Start and Breakfast Fuel
The day began promptly at 7:05 AM, when Bellamy’s alarm blared through his room.
“Though I hit snooze a couple of times,” Bellamy chuckled. The early morning routine might have been a struggle, but Bellamy quickly settled into his routine.
By 8:15, Bellamy, joined by fellow pros Yates and Hunter Johnson and Parris Todd, headed to breakfast. The meal was essential to fuel up for the long day ahead.
“I had three eggs, hash browns, bacon, and coffee,” Bellamy said, describing his choice for a hearty breakfast.
Warm-Up and Focus
Arriving at the Brookhaven facility, Bellamy didn’t waste time. He immediately got into his warm-up routine, a mix of yoga stretches such as cat-cows, downward dogs, and lateral lunges to prepare his body for the demanding matches ahead.
“It’s super important because a lot of times if you don’t properly warm up, things don’t fire the right way,” said Bellamy. “There’s a higher risk of injury, and you just don’t feel as good out there. So, I always make sure to warm up properly. It’s an old tennis habit that I’ve been doing my whole career.”
With his body primed for action, Bellamy moved on to drills.
“First, I warm up at the kitchen line, dink, things like that. Then I move back to the baseline and warm up ground strokes. Then, we work on serves. After that, we go into point play, and that’s really just getting everything warmed up,” he explained.
Singles Victory and Strategic Shifts
Bellamy, ranked No. 12, faced off against the No. 50 seed Zane Ford in the singles round. Ford had fought his way through qualifiers and into the main draw, making for a challenging opponent.
Bellamy dominated the first game, winning 11-2, but Ford fought back, taking the second game 11-9.
“I took the first game but I just gave him some forehand returns in the second set that I shouldn’t have,” Bellamy admitted.
Despite the setback, Bellamy took control in the third, securing a 11-5 win.
“But I felt like I was controlling the match the entire time,” Bellamy reflected.
Transition to Mixed Doubles
With only a brief ten-minute window to recover, Bellamy shifted gears from singles to mixed doubles, where he teamed up with Genie Erokhina. The two were seeded 31st, facing off against the 37th-seeded Anderson Scarpa and Olivia McMillan. Despite the quick transition, Bellamy adapted, as he explained:
“This is the quickest I’ve ever had to change gears completely from singles to mixed. Rather than driving a lot of balls, I’m dropping, coming in, hitting a lot of volleys, and a lot of dinks. It’s a completely different game to be quite honest. And I try to play conservative from the start.”
Bellamy and Erokhina won their match in three sets: 11-3, 7-11, 11-2.
“Roscoe always fights till the last point and finds a way to keep fighting no matter the score,” Erokhina said after the win.
The duo’s success was credited to a well-rounded partnership. Erokhina noted, “I think my drop in and cross court dinks were good. And Roscoe being big and aggressive in the middle worked for us.” Bellamy added, “Also, playing aggressive on our serve… driving when the ball was high, making the right decisions, dropping when the ball was low, and her drops cross court. Any time she got it down we were able to win the point once we got to the kitchen.”
Men’s Doubles with Ivan Jakovljevic
With more matches on the horizon, Bellamy took a much-needed break before his men’s doubles match with Ivan Jakovljevic. The two would be facing Maximilian Wild and Dave Bacalla, with Wild being Bellamy’s former college roommate at UCLA.
“It’s definitely a little weird to play him, but he’s super talented and I’m excited to see him on the pickleball court,” Bellamy said.
Bellamy and Jakovljevic won the first game 11-6, but Wild and Bacalla fought back, surging to a 6-0 lead in game two. Bellamy, however, was determined to push through.
“In moments like that, you just have to string together some points and see if you can get momentum,” Bellamy explained. “It’s tough and it’s a crappy feeling when your opponent starts taking the lead.”
Bellamy and Jakovljevic managed to bounce back, taking game three 11-9.
“The righty-lefty combo is great because you have two forehands in the middle and two backhands on the outer wing,” said Bellamy. “It’s fun playing with a lefty for sure.”
Evening Wind-Down and Prep for Tomorrow
After a long day of high-pressure matches, Bellamy headed back to his Airbnb. The routine was the same: hydrate, eat a large meal, and reflect on the day’s performance by watching film of his matches.
Tomorrow, Bellamy will face Todd Fought in the round of 32 for singles, while in mixed doubles, he and Erokhina will go up against the No. 4 seeded Quang Duong and Anna Bright. He’ll also be facing Connor Garnett and Tyler Loong in men’s doubles.
News in Brief : Roscoe Bellamy’s Pickleball Winning Formula
Roscoe Bellamy, a rising professional pickleball star, had a triumphant day at the Lapiplasty Pickleball World Championships on November 5, 2024. Bellamy, seeded No. 12 in singles, secured victories in three tough matches, including a win in mixed doubles with Genie Erokhina. He dominated his singles match 11-2, 9-11, 11-5 and triumphed in mixed doubles 11-3, 7-11, 11-2. Bellamy will next face Todd Fought in the round of 32 in singles and compete with Erokhina in mixed against Quang Duong and Anna Bright.
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