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Sun Lakers Nick and Debbie Caputo and Dave and Peggy Huetten have worked for several years at the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells. After their working hours they are able to remain on the tennis grounds and watch various pro tennis matches. In addition to seeing big- name tennis pros while they are there, this year Debbie met the 2018 Pickleball World Champion Doubles Player, Lucy Kovalova, shown in the picture. Lucy won the world championship with her partner Simone Jardim in 2018, as well as the mixed doubles with her partner Matt Wright. The Tennis Warehouse, located on the tournament grounds, put on a pickleball demonstration for the crowds at their practice courts during the Open. Tennis champion pro player Marin Cilic teamed up with Kovalova and Jardim to wow the crowd with their expert pickle shots. In speaking with Lucy Kovalova, Debbie learned that Lucy and her partner travel around the world all year participating in pickleball tournaments. She is originally from Slovakia, but played college tennis for the University of Georgia. She wanted to assure every pickleball player that the sport is to be found almost anywhere on earth! One of pickleball's venerable mottos is "Patience!" Too often, players are tempted to make a quick kill-shot, expecting to catch the opponents off guard. Inevitably, it seems, the kill-shot becomes a suicide as the shot finds the net instead of that sweet spot between the competition or down the alley. One of our club members even taped this one-word admonition onto his paddle in a (vain) attempt to slow himself down. Pickleball's dink shot is all about patience. The slow soft dink over the net into the no-volley zone is about getting your opponent to make a mistake before you do. The Caputos' and Huettens' experiences at Indian Wells reveal the close relationship that has formed between the two sports. And Nick and Debbie, as veterans of both at Sun Lakes, exemplify the mutual enjoyment available to court aficionados. We welcome all who would like to learn more about pickleball. Give one of our officers a call for more information on what this game entails: Leslie Johnson at (909) 693-9922, or Tony Browne at (909) 509- 0105. See you on the courts! | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2019 | 53 Pickleball Club Debbie Caputo with Lucy Kovalova, the 2018 Pickleball World Champion Doubles Player