In the Kitchen: Andrei Daescu Talks APP New York Open, Viking Athletic Relationship

Some of the world’s best pickleball players arrived here in New York to compete in the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) New York City Open. The competition took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, which normally hosts the U.S. Open, but on this weekend played host to a premier pickleball event.

At that event, Andrei Daescu & Rob Nunnery teamed up to take home the Gold Medal in Men’s Pro Doubles. Long Island Tennis Magazine caught up with Daescu to talk about his pickleball beginnings, his success on the tour as well as his partnership with Viking Athletics, one of the leading brands in the racquet sport industry.

When did you first start playing pickleball? What was your introduction to the sport, and did you play other racquet/paddle sports before you began playing pickleball?

My first experience with pickleball was in the fall of 2017 at Ballenisles Country Club in South Florida. I was a tennis pro at the club and a bunch of our members asked us to hire some pickleball pros to come to our club and do an learn & play clinic for our members. During that clinic they needed an extra player for the exhibition and I got to jump in, I was hooked instantly after the first few points. It was about 3-4 weeks later that I was playing in my first official tournament and everything snowballed from that moment on, I still enjoy the game as much as I did that first time I played.  My racquet sports background is in tennis, I started playing when I was 6, played college tennis for the University of Oklahoma where I became an All-American in 2010 and played on the pro tour from 2010-2015. I reached a career high ranking of 126 ATP in doubles and got to compete in the 2015 US Open which is my most fun memory in tennis, there’s no other place like Flushing Meadows during the US Open.

What did it mean to you to win the APP New York City Open? What were you doing well throughout the tournament that allowed you to win it?

Winning the APP New York City Open was a great accomplishment for me. The experience of playing at Flushing Meadows was fantastic, it brought back some nice memories, and I enjoyed the NYC crowd which came out in large numbers over that weekend. I was able to play my best game for a large part of that tournament and overcame some good adversity in the finals to be able to bring home the gold.

Pickleball’s popularity has certainly risen over the last several years, especially at the professional level. What do you think is the reason for this shift? And also, what should people know about pickleball at the highest levels as often time the perception is it’s a sport for old people?

There’s no question pickleball’s popularity has risen exponentially in the last few years and we now have large hedge-funds and big-time celebrities buying stock into our game. I attribute the growth in the popularity simply to how much fun the game actually is. More and more people have been exposed to the game in the last 5-10 years and I think COVID helped expose a very large number of the general population, and add to that the retention rate being extremely high, pretty much all my family and friends who have tried it are loving it and playing a lot. The game of pickleball is easy to learn which makes it fun at the start, but hard to master which keeps us coming back. Regarding pickleball being a game for old people, I used to hear that a lot in the early years of the game but now that most people have tried it you really don’t hear that much at all. If you haven’t tried the game yet, go out with your friends and play some singles or doubles for 45 minutes and you’ll see it for yourself how good of a workout it is.

Can you talk about your relationship with Viking Athletics? When did that come about?

My relationship with Viking came about at the start of this year. They are obviously a very established company in the platform-tennis market and were looking to make the jump into pickleball as well. I was really excited about their long-term plan and their staff so in May I decided to join their team and I am really happy with the move so far. They are a world-class company in the racquet-sports industry and this was a great opportunity for me so I hope our partnership will last a long time.

What makes Viking a great company/brand to collaborate with?

Viking is a great brand to collaborate because of its experience and willingness to stay ahead of the game. Despite their great success in racquet sports, they always embrace feedback, their staff is extremely capable to turn that feedback into some great results and their team gives you that family feeling at all times.

What are some of your goals/plans for the summer and moving forward?

I have a really busy tournament schedule this summer that is going to take me coast to coast here in the US and will also bring me in the UK at the beginning of August. The plan for the summer is to continue to enjoy playing pickleball at the highest level, continue to expose as many people as possible to this great game and take care of my body during this process so I can do this for a long time to come.