'Great For Your Physical & Mental Health': Sarah Burr All Pumped Up For PWR DUPR India Masters (Photo credit: Instagram @sarah_burr_pickleball_aus)
Australia's pickleball star Sarah Burr has admitted that the ability of the sport to be endearing to people of all ages and ability levels makes it so popular, besides being a great activity for one's physical and mental health. Burr is in India for the PWR DUPR India Masters, a PWR700 event that will be played from October 24 in New Delhi.
It will be the first tournament in India, owned and operated by the Pickleball World Rankings after the successful launch of the PWR World Tour in July this year in Dubai.
The participants include top international players such as the United States' Dustin Boyer and Phuc Huynh, Roos Van Reek (Netherlands), Australia's Mitch Hargreaves and Emilia Schmidt, Pei Chuan Kao (Chinese Taipei), as well as leading Indian players like Armaan Bhatia and Aditya Ruhela.
"I love it. It's for all ages and all ability levels. It's great for your physical and mental health," Burr said while speaking to Pickleball Now.
Pickleball has often been considered a sport similar to tennis, badminton and table tennis and Burr admitted to the similarities. " Pickleball uses the hand-eye coordination that exists in tennis, badminton or table tennis but pickleball has some different and interesting rules. The padels are different and there are a lot of strategies and techniques and there are physical barriers as well."
Asked what her favourite shot in the sport is, Burr said that it is the ATP, or Around the Post shot. Notably, unlike many other racquet sports, it is a legal shot where the player hits the ball around the net post into the opponent's court.
The major purpose of the shot is to ensure that the ball lands so much away from the opponent that they can't return it.
Notably, pickleball first captured the US market five years back during the COVID-19 pandemic when people took to it as a leisurely activity. It has undergone a lot of development since then to rise to the level of a professional sport.
Asked about the social aspect of it, Burr said, "It has got my entire family involved, from my children, my husband, my parents to my grandparents. The sport helps us talk and communicate more and we also celebrate the big wins. It's a very social sport."
The India Masters will award players up to 700 ranking points, valid for 52 weeks.
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