ベトナムのテニス史でただ一人グランドスラムのタイトルを持つ選手が、いまはパドルを握っている。リー・ホアン・ナム（Lý Hoàng Nam）は2015年ウィンブルドン・ジュニア男子ダブルスを制した後、2025年3月にプロテニスからの引退を表明し、ピックルボールへ軸足を移した。その彼が、8月30日から9月6日までダナンで開かれるHeineken Pickleball World Cup 2026に、ベトナム代表として出場する。
The scale of the tournament itself is covered elsewhere. What matters to players in Japan is one point: athletes from tennis and badminton are starting to occupy the core of national teams. Read alongside what is happening on the ground in Japan, how that switch from racket sports is progressing in Asia tells us something.
At his retirement press event, Lý Hoàng Nam held a paddle, not a racket
リー・ホアン・ナムは2015年、インドのスミット・ナガルと組んでウィンブルドン・ジュニア男子ダブルスを制し、ベトナム人として初めて四大大会のトロフィーを手にした選手だ。引退の場となったのは2025年3月19日、ハノイでのエキシビション。テニス時代のダブルスパートナーだったチン・リン・ザンと組み、世界上位のピックル選手と対戦した。
He described his reasons for switching this way: "At first I just wanted to find out what was so interesting about this sport. But before I knew it, I was hooked. Pickleball is easy to learn and anyone can do it. That's why it suits Vietnamese people." Bringing across the reaction speed and footwork he built in tennis, he won several titles at PPA events in Asia and broke into the upper reaches of the men's world rankings. For equipment, he uses Kamito paddles as a brand ambassador. Hisdouble title at the Asian event on home soilwas received locally as the moment Vietnam produced a champion of its own rather than relying on overseas players.
Several tennis converts line up among the 10-player open squad
Vietnam's open division squad heading to Da Nang has 10 players. Đỗ Minh Quân captains the side, alongside Lý Hoàng Nam, Quang Dương, Phúc Huỳnh, Trương Vinh Hiển and the aforementioned Trịnh Linh Giang. Beyond the open division, the national team also fields players in the junior (U18) and children's (U14) categories.
What stands out is that this lineup is built on an inflow from tennis and junior sports. Lý and Trịnh played doubles together in tennis, and now the two line up together as national team pickleball players. Top athletes who switched sports outright forming a national squad within a few years — that speed says everything about where Vietnam stands.
ダナンは2年でテニスの街からピックルボールの国際大会開催地に
Da Nang can carry an event of this size because of what it built the year before. In 2025, the city hosted the PPA Tour Asia's MB Vietnam Cup for the first time, drawing headline names such as Ben Johns and Tyson McGuffin along with 600 players from about 20 countries and territories. This year's national selection and international tournament sit on top of a foundation that the world's best professionals have already visited.
ベトナムでは屋外コートが各地に急速に広がり、テニス・バドミントン・卓球といったラケット競技の経験者が次々とピックルボールへ流れ込んでいる。トップ選手の転向は、その大きな流れの先端に立つ看板でもある。テニスからの転向はベトナムだけの話ではなく、Hong Kong's Jack Wong took a third international singles gold, the same phenomenon is playing out across Asia.
What players in Japan can take from the reality of switching sports
The same shift is underway on the ground in Japan.Just as Yuta Funamizu, who came across from the top of another racket sport, beat a former world No. 1 in Tachikawaように、既存の競技で培った身体感覚はピックルボールで短期間に武器になる。リー・ホアン・ナムが持ち込んだ反応速度・足の運び・ネット際の読みは、テニス経験者がそのまま使える資産だ。
There are three things recreational players can take from this.
- With a tennis or badminton background, you get going faster than someone starting from zero. Do not discard your past sport — translate it.
- Rather than long rallies with lots of shots, dinks and resets at the kitchen line decide matches. Build points with placement rather than power.
- Choose equipment by where you use it, not by the spec sheet. Just as Lý uses a light paddle to exploit his speed, prioritize a design that fits your style of play.
Japan can see the best of the converts live in September
リー・ホアン・ナムのようにグランドスラム経験者がピックルボールの代表になる例は、競技の若さと成長速度を映している。ダナンの本番は8月30日開幕。テニスやラケット競技の経験を持つ日本のプレーヤーは、彼の試合運びを配信で追い、キッチン際のリセットとパドル選びの二点に絞って自分のプレーに落とし込むところから始めたい。転向で先を行く選手の実戦は、これから始める人にとって最短の教材になる。
