According to D’Arcy Maine of ESPN on Monday, American tennis player Noah Rubin has decided to leave professional tennis for pickle ball. Rubin, who is currently 26 years old, initially announced his “break from tennis”on September 19, according to David Kane of tennis.com, and now we know what his next venture will be.
Over the last year, Major League Pickleball has generated immense popularity. There are currently 12 teams in the league and famous sports athletes have decided to invest in the league when it comes to franchise ownership. They include Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and four-time grand slam tennis champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium.
Rubin also had two singles victories at a major, with both coming at the Australian Open. In 2016, he upset the 17th seed, Benoit Paire of France, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 in the first round. Then in 2017, Rubin beat American qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo 6-7, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Rubin’s next match at the 2017 Australian Open happened to be against the eventual champion, Roger Federer of Switzerland, as Federer won 7-5, 6-3, 7-6.
Rubin was ranked as high as 125th in the world in 2018. His most notable win came in the second round of the 2018 Citi Open in Washington where he beat 2018 Wimbledon semifinalist John Isner of the United States 6-4, 7-6.
Over the years, Rubin also beat two other tennis players who were ranked in the top 10. In 2018, Rubin beat 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 7-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Geneva Open. Also in 2018, Rubin beat 2006 and 2010 United States Open semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, in the first round of the Citi Open in Washington, 6-4, 6-4.
Prior to joining the ATP Tour, Rubin was a junior Wimbledon champion. In 2014, he beat Stefan Kozlov of the United States in the final, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
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