James Ignatowich sees continued rise in Philippine pickleball scene

Professional pickleball player James Ignatowich believes the pickleball craze in the Philippines will only continue to trend upward. 

“I mean, the rising popularity is crazy. I think it's going to continue to rise even more,” Ignatowich told DAILY TRIBUNE Saturday afternoon at The Block Atrium, SM North EDSA. 

“It's gotten even more popular. It gets better every time,” he added. 

While in the Philippines to launch his co-founded RPM paddles, the 25-year-old player made the most of his visit by joining the inaugural leg of the SM Pickleball Super Series on 11-12 April for a special meet-and-greet session.

Ignatowich also dedicated his downtime to mentoring players on their attacking and defensive games, to which he highlighted the need for such guidance, citing a lack of professional coaching not just in the country, but globally.

“I think it's helpful to be able to teach people because there's not a lot of good coaches in pickleball yet because it's so new. So since there's not a lot of good coaches, because it's just getting started, I think the opportunity to get professional-level coaching is kind of premium,” he expressed. 

The only answer to the problem? More people should play. 

“It's just going to happen the more people play. Because all the players right now that are getting better are going to be coaches next to you,” Ignatowich said. 

“You got to just play longer because everybody just got started playing,” he continued and hinted at holding a clinic in Manila. 

Together with Ignatowich, Canadian National Champion, PPA Tour Athlete and Texas Open Round of 16 Finisher Mackonner Dy played for an exhibition match. 

Joining the two in the game were Toby’s Sports president Toby Claudio and RPM ambassador Jessica Agra.