ORLANDO, Fla. — Federico Staksrud’s start to playing pickleball wasn’t a straight line.
“I used to play college tennis,” he said. “I played tennis my whole life, and I kind of lost that competitiveness of something. And finding pickleball, it brought it back. So, it was amazing.”
Staksrud is one of the best pickleball players in the world. Actually, he is ranked No. 2 in singles and has his eyes set on the No. 1 spot.
It has been a journey for him, from working at a software company to serving it up on the court.
“I think it’s the enjoyment of the hard work honestly,” Staksrud said. “I didn’t realize because I was just having fun. But I would wake up at like 5 a.m., play from like 6 to 8 a.m., go to work 9 to 5. I would go back to teach some tennis, then go back and play pickleball from 7 p.m. until like 10 p.m.”
The way he plays reflects all his hard work.
Staksrud plans at No. 1 for the Orlando Squeeze, but everyone wants the top spot — even new teammates.
“We were probably a little rocky at the beginning,” said Jack Sock, a four-time Grand Slam event champion in tennis and an Olympic gold medalist.
It’s safe to say he has confidence in his game and won’t back down from anyone.
“We played singles a bunch early on and maybe got into it a couple times,” Sock explained. “But I think we’ve actually become pretty good friends. We’re much closer, and we’re both going to play some doubles now.”
That is what the Orlando Squeeze want: talented players working together to make the team better.
“I used to watch him, (Roger Federer) and he would play (Rafael Nadal). For me, in the beginning, it was kind of crazy — like this guy is here with us,” said Staksrud of Sock. “For me, it was surreal; I’m playing with Jack Sock on a pickleball court.”
Their goal is to win a Major League Pickleball championship this season.
From July 30 to Aug. 2, the Orlando Squeeze will compete in a tournament at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex as part of the league’s regular season.