Meet Beth Bellamy, the tennis champion who became a pickleball trailblazer

Every day above ground is a chance to write more of your life’s story. Beth Bellamy had a tremendous first act, that saw her graduate from tennis prodigy to top-notch professional WTA player. It’s more than most little kids could dream of, and yet for Bellamy there was so much more in store.

Her post-tennis career took her to law school and a distinguished Paddle Tennis run, before a new sport caught her attention. Pickleball was experiencing an enormous boom worldwide, a seismic boom that changed the entire athletic and sports business landscape. Bellamy quickly took to the game, and everyone recognized her special talent.

On the latest episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In Podcast, she discussed her path from one racquet sport to another, and why co-founding the National Pickleball League (NPL) for senior level players is one of her proudest achievements yet.

Bellamy found her passion for tennis as a youth in Ohio, where she quickly rose to prominence as the top junior player in the country. She chose to attend USC to play tennis, where she won both the singles and team titles as a freshman. Her pro run lasted a decade, during which she made a sizeable impact on the tour in both singles and doubles. Bellamy battled the injury bug, but she has nothing but positive memories from her tennis career.

“I feel really fortunate that I had that experience of being a pro. It’s so rare,” Bellamy says. “Having a good balance in my life, that really helped. But no I don’t think I do have any regrets. It was a great experience.

Adjusting to “civilian life” is a hard task for retired tennis players, but Bellamy found her stride very quickly. Always enamored with school and education, she parlayed that interest into a law degree from UCLA. Bellamy also found her way to the Paddle Tennis circuit, where she became very accomplished. But it was during the COVID-19 pandemic when she picked up a different paddle and found a new calling in pickleball.

“The social part is what got me. I enjoyed being with my friends who were starting to move over to pickleball. I always heard people laughing out there and thought, this is different,” Bellamy recalls.

Between being accustomed to gripping a paddle and her natural tennis skillset at the net, Bellamy was a natural in her newfound sport: “The topspin swinging volley is a really helpful volley in pickle, and that was really comfortable for me in tennis.”

In 2022, Bellamy was the winningest player in Pickleball, racking up 43 gold and ascending to No. 1 in the world in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at the senior level for players aged 50 and over.

But her lasting impact on the sport might go beyond individual accomplishments, as she co-founded the NPL in 2022. Along with Rick Witsken and Michael Chen, Bellamy created a nationwide team competition for the very best Champions Division players.

“I think the three of us just thought, let’s give it a shot,” Bellamy says of the idea that became a reality. “We ended up selling six teams to six awesome entrepreneurial groups that were willing to take the plunge with us, and now we’re expanding again for the 2024 season."

The NPL held combines to evaluate prospective players, and Bellamy was thrilled and inspired with what those events produced.

“You can feel like you’re going to fail if you don’t make it," she says, "but I just think all these people have so much courage to get out there.”

Bellamy and the NPL offer the chance for senior pickleball players to pursue greatness on the court in a team setting. But they provide so much more of a lesson on a grander scale. It’s an example of how competition does not have an expiration date, and that you’re never too old to find your passion.

On this podcast, Bellamy also dives into the challenges of being a senior athlete, what the NPL has lined up for 2024, and how proud she is that each of her four boys played college tennis. She’s spent nearly her entire life in racquet sports, and she succeeded at the highest level in everything she’s done.

Pickleball came into Bellamy’s life not too long ago, but now, it’s her signature game.