When Sofia Sewing last came to Midland, she was a tennis player with ailing knees and an uncertain future. Less than two years later, she is back in town as the No. 1 player in the world – in a whole different sport.
Sewing (pronounced “sev-ing”) retired from professional tennis only months after playing doubles at the 2023 Dow Tennis Classic and immediately took up pickleball as her new profession. She returned to the Greater Midland Tennis Center for the inaugural APP Great Lakes Open this week as the player to beat on the women’s side.
“It’s nice to be back — and in different weather. The last time I was here, it was snowing, so I feel like I’ve seen it all up here,” Sewing said with a laugh between matches on Thursday afternoon.
“I loved it. The people were so nice. That’s why I was excited when I saw that they were going to bring an APP event here,” she added of playing at the GMTC. “I had a great experience the last time. Everybody was so welcoming and inviting and nice. Great facility.
“When I spoke with (GMTC executive director) Jeff Rekeweg last year and he told me they were looking to have an APP event here, I thought, ‘How cool would it be to come back and do a different sport this time?’”
As a tennis player, the Miami-born Sewing won four ITF singles titles and 14 ITF doubles titles. Her highest WTA rankings were No. 155 in doubles and No. 455 in singles before her body told her it was time to make a switch.
“My last (tennis) tournament was a WTA event in Mexico, and I really struggled with my knees, so it was difficult for me to continue,” she noted. “My head was already thinking pickleball, and you can’t be one foot in with tennis; you’ve got to be really committed. I really decided that, with the way I was feeling physically, why not just try something new and see how it goes.
“I had a lot of friends who had already transitioned and were telling me good things (about pickleball), but I wanted to see for myself,” she added. “Honestly, it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. It was really an amazing change for me, and I’m super happy that I made that choice.”
Amazingly, only weeks after going pro in pickleball, Sewing won the women’s singles title in the first APP (Association of Pickleball Players) event in which she entered. Immediately after that championship, she took some time off to heal, got healthy, and has been dominant ever since.
“I was really in peak pain after that (first APP tournament). My knees hurt so bad that I didn’t play another tournament until three months after that. I took the summer off and didn’t start back up until September (of 2024),” said Sewing, who has won four gold medals in singles, three silvers in singles, one silver in mixed doubles, and two bronzes in women’s doubles during her brief time on the APP tour.
Sewing entered the Great Lakes Open as the top-ranked woman in the APP world rankings. Although she had to settle for a bronze in women’s singles in Midland on Thursday, Sewing said she has enjoyed the tournament’s facilities.
“They’re great. They’re very gritty,” she said of the GMTC’s designated pickleball courts. “I love that they have the fencing around the courts. I think that makes it more professional.
“Honestly, it’s super annoying when you’re playing a tournament and it’s completely open, no fencing, and you’re chasing the ball. It’s not ideal. It’s not fun,” she added. “I think they did a really, really great job here.”
Sewing admitted that making the transition from professional tennis to professional pickleball wasn’t entirely smooth. In fact, she had to totally reset her approach, particularly in doubles.
“It was not easy. I put in a lot of hours,” she said. “The singles transition is easier, because it’s more of a natural switchover from tennis, but doubles is very hard.
“I put in a lot of hours, a lot of training, to be able to get that pickleball mentality and stay away from that tennis mentality I’ve had my whole life,” she added. “Tennis is so ingrained in my brain that I had to put in a lot of work (to change my mindset).”
With that said, Sewing said unequivocally that she enjoys playing doubles more than singles, while noting that singles is harder on the body and is “lonelier” than doubles.
“I always loved doubles in tennis, too. … I care a lot more about doubles. … Doubles is way more important than singles in pickleball,” she said. “I think people are starting to look at singles and see the importance of it, but doubles is really what I would say is the basis of pickleball, and I value it much more.”
Sewing, who will continue play at the Great Lakes Open in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles this weekend, said she also prefers the good vibes and camaraderie of pickleball over the relative isolation of tennis.
“I honestly enjoy the environment more than in tennis. It’s such a more social sport,” she said. “I’ve made so many good friends through pickleball. For me, the environment is the best thing about it.
“Tennis is very lonely. It’s very hard on your mental health,” she added. “Pickleball is less stressful and more fun and more rewarding.”
Asked what advice she would give to a pickleball newbie, Sewing stressed the importance of fundamentals and repetition to improve one’s game quickly.
“I would say that drilling is super important to advancing your game,” she said. “Playing games is super fun, and it’s obviously more exciting than drilling, but if you want to take your game to the next level, you have to drill as much as you can.
“Work on specific things, put in the hours, and you’ll see those results in games,” she added. “You’ll see how much you’ve progressed.”