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Gavin Manders On Pickleball World Cup [Written by Stephen Wright] Gavin Manders has credited pickleball with prolonging his competitive racquet sports career as he prepares to lead Team Bermuda at the Pickleball World Cup at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Manders, national director of Pickleball Bermuda and captain of the elite team, proudly joined the island’s contingent at the opening ceremony yesterday [October 27]. Bermuda, the reigning Caribbean champions, have sent 17 players, plus a non-playing captain and coach, to the tournament, which runs until November 2. More than 60 nations are competing in the second World Cup. Bermuda have been drawn in a group with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bosnia, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage. Better known for his tennis career, Manders said pickleball – played on a smaller court with slower ball speeds – has given him a new lease of life after a pectoral muscle tear at the International Island Games in Guernsey in 2023. “I thought my competitive career was over [after the 2023 Island Games],” Manders told Bernews. “Thankfully, you don’t have to hit the ball too often over the shoulder in pickleball, which is why I started playing the sport in the first place. “In tennis, there are high velocity movements above the shoulder, serves, and volleys. “In pickleball, I only have to use that part of my body five percent of the time. “My body is pretty beat-up from playing tennis over the years, but pickleball has allowed me to continue being competitive, which is what I love.” Manders, Bermuda’s most successful all-time Island Games athlete, is joined in Florida by his eight-year-old son, Kai, who competes in the junior category. Kai won gold in the Kids’ Singles at a pre-World Cup event at the inaugural World Cup in Lima, Peru, last year. “There’s so much opportunity, and I’m trying to open doors for the next generation,” Manders said. “I want to play for as long as possible and play in a competition with my son. “I’m blessed to be able to keep up. Most of the players I’m up against are half my age.” Manders said Team Bermuda is focused on progressing beyond the group stage, despite limited knowledge of their opponents. “The sport has grown so quickly, and they’re big countries – I can only assume they’re playing at a high level,” he said. “A lot of top players from racquet sports – tennis, badminton, and squash – are coming into the sport because of the opportunities and high-performance framework.” Team Bermuda Elite team: [Women] Imani Phillips, Melisa Judd, Patricia Mills, Naphisa Smith. [Men] Gavin Manders [captain], Ben Jones, Jamie Stowe, Tom Mills, Mical Russell. Senior team: [Women] Tori Powell, Val Stevenson, Laverne Stowe, Samantha Todd. [Men] Courtland Boyle, Mark Cordiero, Matt Dragonetti, Ryon Outerbridge. Captain [non-playing]: George Thomas. Co-captain [non-playing] and coach: Sarah Fox. #GavinManders #Pickleball #StephenWrightReports Category: All, News, Sports
