Today (March 21), Ly Hoang Nam attended the event "Reset To Shine - Reviving courage - That is the excellent province" held in Ho Chi Minh City. Here, he shared information about giving up tennis to switch to playing pickleball.
"I don't use the word ' give up' for tennis, because it's a part of my life. Tennis has been with me for a long time, and always has great respect and love for this sport. However, at the present time, pickleball is more suitable for me to pursue a top professional path. In the future, whether to return to tennis or continue with pickleball will depend on the most appropriate time.
I am lucky to have a solid tennis foundation, which makes it easier for me to switch to pickleball. In addition, the opportunity to practice with excellent tennis players has helped me improve my skills quickly," Hoang Nam shared.
Regarding his upcoming goals, Ly Hoang Nam said that he will not give up his seriousness and passion for sports. He said: "No matter what subject I choose, I will devote all my seriousness and enthusiasm. I always like to challenge myself and conquer difficulties. When I played tennis, I set very distant goals, there were things that no one thought I could do, but I proved the opposite.
With pickleball, I will first affirm my position in Vietnam, then reach out to Asia and face the world's top players. If in tennis, being in the top 100 in the world is a very difficult goal, then with pickleball, I believe I can do it in the upcoming journey".
In addition, Li Huangyan also affirmed that pickleball is not an easy sport. "To reach the top position in Vietnam or Asia, competing at the top requires serious training and constant effort," he said.
He also shared more about the pressure when fans had high expectations of him, but that was also the motivation for him to continue trying.
"I'm not afraid of pressure, because I've been used to it since I was playing tennis. Fans have followed me from tennis with high expectations, and now with pickleball, they also hope I can quickly reach the top. That is the pressure but also the motivation for me to try harder every day, Hoang Nam shared.
Recently, Li Huangyan continued to win impressively with 5 consecutive championships in recent times. He won championships in tournaments such as the U35 Men's doubles - 2025 National Pickleball Championship, Lao Cai Open 2025, SS Arena Ba Ria - Vung Tau 2025, King Cup Hai Duong 2025, VPO Hanoi Open 2025 and KOOTORO 2024. Notably, he and Trinh Linh Giang won the men's doubles championship at the 2025 National Pickleball Championship.
