When Trinh Linh Giang quit tennis and became a pickleball champion

Vietnam's No. 2 tennis player brought his name back to the domestic sports scene, with the PPA Asia Tour pickleball championship title and a new nickname, "chef".

Trinh Linh Giang has a new journey with a pickleball racket - Photo: TQ

The professional men's singles title at the PPA Asia Tour 2025 Malaysia Open brings Trinh Linh Giang new challenges and opportunities in his sports career.

For nearly 2 years now, the name Trinh Linh Giang has not appeared in the press. At the end of 2023, the professional tennis player gradually gave up tennis, where he was ranked 2nd in Vietnam.

Linh Giang was fascinated by pickleball and began to focus on exploring the new world . He was one of the first professional athletes to get acquainted with this sport in Ho Chi Minh City.

As pickleball flourished from May 2024, Linh Giang won the professional men's doubles title at the National Club Championship in Thai Binh . He then won the bronze medal at the PPA Tour Australia - Vietnam Open 2024 in Ho Tram. The two titles marked a turning point in his career.

At the 2025 National Pickleball Championship, Linh Giang won the professional men's doubles under 35 years old event with Ly Hoang Nam. Thereby, he won the first pickleball title in his life.

With pickleball, Linh Giang can compete for the No. 1 position in Vietnam - Photo: PPA

If talking about tennis, Linh Giang will find it difficult to surpass Vietnam's number 1 player Ly Hoang Nam. But with pickleball, Giang played first and even taught his close friend.

The 28-year-old tennis player decided to quit tennis (for now, Ly Hoang Nam) to switch to pickleball. Linh Giang practices every day and puts all her heart into her new path.

The unbelievable result was that on July 6, Linh Giang won the PPA Asia Tour - Malaysia Open after defeating Vanshik Kapadia 2-0. This success delighted Vietnamese pickleball fans.

Trinh Linh Giang said: "I am very proud to bring back to Vietnam the PPA Asia Tour championship. To talk about this success, I have changed a lot, being serious with myself, controlling my emotions, keeping a steady mentality in every match. That is also Giang's greatest title".

That achievement has "revived" the name Trinh Linh Giang in a new territory, where he can assert his position as a leader. The PPA Asia Tour trophy came at the right time, when Linh Giang became the image ambassador for a single pickleball racket Kamito Gamma.

QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-trinh-linh-giang-bo-tennis-va-vo-dich-pickleball-20250710163347293.htm