Dewji, Chandoo win first International Pickleball Open event

As Dewji and Chandoo won top positions in the doubles event, another Tanzanian Kartik Kapoor was placed third in the singles event.

The trio featured in the competition for the first time in the history of the sport which is now becoming popular in African countries and globally.

Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, Dewji said he was very excited to win the top position in the sport, which they competed for the first time internationally.

He said Tanzania was regarded as underdogs in the tournament and that drove them to fight hard in order to prove their worth.

“It was not easy to win the title due to a strong opposition from other competitors. Our intensive training made us celebrate the silverware and manage to promote our country internationally. We have gained prominence in the game. I am very excited about winning the title with my partner, Mohammed Chandoo. We are both very proud of our accomplishment and are grateful to KSIJ Dar Hayatt Fitness Centre, located in the city centre of Dar es Salaam, which provided us a platform to achieve this success. We hope to represent the country in the upcoming tournaments,” said Dewji, who attributed a part of his success to “Kili Buddies,” an elite group of players at KSIJ Dar Hayatt Fitness Centre.

For his part, Kapoor said, “It was a great experience to participate in the event and I shall work harder to win the next one.” Kapoor, who is also the promoter of East Africa Racket Sports Club, said he will continue to promote and support the sport in the country.

The facility currently boasts of four courts and plans to host an international event in Dar es Salaam in the coming months. They also intend to popularize the sport among the youth in schools. Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two (singles) or four (doubles) players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits an infraction.

Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.

While it resembles tennis and table tennis, pickleball has specific rules, paddles and court dimensions. The court is 44 feet long and 20 feet wide, and the paddle is larger than the one used in table tennis.

The hard plastic ball used in pickleball produces less bounce than tennis balls. On each side of the net is a 7-foot area (2.1 m) known as the non-volley zone (or the kitchen), where the ball must bounce before it is hit. The rules specify side-out scoring, where only the server can score a point. The minimal amount of bounce, the non-volley zones, and the underhanded stroke with which all serves are made, give the game a dynamic pace.

Between 1965 and 2020, pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, and began to grow in popularity elsewhere. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the sport was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and by 2023 it was estimated to have over 4.8 million players.

The growing popularity of the sport has been attributed to its short learning curve, its appeal to a wide range of ages and fitness levels, and its low startup costs.