“If you think you can do it, and you believe in yourself, you’ve got to just go for it and commit."
Chris Haworth made history after not losing a men's singles match over on the APP Tour in over a year.
Now just over a month into his fresh PPA Tour contract, he's already chalked up a big win, beating Christian Alshon in the finals at the Virginia Beach Cup.
Haworth joined host Zane Navratil on this week's PicklePod to talk about the win. But he also had some candid advice to any amateurs who are aspiring to turn pro.
“It’s so hard right now to break through," he said.
“I think right now the PPA Challenger Tour is a great option for people, just to see where your level is. As much as you can play, the better.”
Haworth is a big proponent of testing yourself against other aspiring pros, and a great place to do that is the PPA Challenger series. If you can't win there, you're probably not ready to take it to the next level.
“If you feel like your level is high, you’ll get some good results, you’ll get some eyes on you," he said. "From there, I think the pickleball world is so good at helping each other. Meeting people along the way, making good connections. The more people you know, the better. Just get your name out there.”
It's not easy, he acknowledges, especially given most amateurs are working full-time, then training and competing on nights and weekends. It's time-intensive. And expensive.
Zane has been there. And he agrees that playing as much as possible, against the best competition you can compete against, is the only path to the top. The deck may be stacked against you, but one thing is undeniable. “Being good at pickleball trumps all,” said Zane.
Haworth, for his part, is a fan of the new PPA prize money model that favors results. In the sport's top Tour, it's eat what you kill.
“If you think you can do it, and you believe in yourself, you’ve got to just go for it and commit," he said.
Feature image via Chris Haworth, Instagram
