Roscoe Bellamy turned pro in 2023, so he's still relatively new to the professional ranks.

But, he has a familiar backstory in the picklesphere as a player with a high-level tennis background.

“At the end of 2022, I had two hip surgeries and it was really hard to play tennis at the time. I couldn’t move that well and I was still in pain,” shared Bellamy. “Pickleball was easier on my body, so I had to make a tough decision. I decided to stop tennis and start playing pickleball.” 

It wasn't long before Bellamy realized that a steep learning curve was ahead.

“Some major disadvantages coming from tennis are bad tennis stroke habits, like taking too big back swings, closing the face of your paddle a lot, and using a lot of wrist,” he explained. “And then you get to pickleball and you basically have to unlearn all the tennis habits.”

Bellamy enlisted the help of a coach who played recreational pickleball with Sam Querrey.

The coach helped Bellamy eliminate those pesky tennis habits and elevate his pickleball game in the process. And last season, his work began to pay dividends.

With tennis in the rearview mirror, Bellamy made some additional discoveries on the pickleball court. 

“I think about the serve a little differently, too. I used to think about the serve in tennis as a way to get free points. Now, I’m thinking about it as a way to set up my third shot that’s really helped my game,” he mentioned. “The serve has a lot to do with the paddle you’re using and my paddle’s got a lot of spin, so I’m able to generate a lot of top spin and have it kick.”

Switching to pickleball wasn’t just easier on his body and an exciting new sport to get involved with, it also kept Bellamy closer to home. 

“In professional tennis, you’re traveling overseas and you’re basically away for six to eight weeks. I liked the idea of being able to come back home during the week and see my family who I’m really close with,” he explained. “Pickleball gave me the opportunity to stay close to home, which is important to me.”

Though Bellamy usually travels to tournaments solo, he's rather close with fellow pros on tour. 

“Buddies like Hunter and Yates Johnson really took me under their wing when I first started playing. When I started traveling, they let me stay with them and it helped so much being new on the pro scene,” he revealed. “I feel like every player comes in and creates their own little squad because you’re splitting Airbnbs, you’re going to dinner, talking about pickleball, drilling together, and just figuring this all out together. And I love being here with Yates, Hunter, and Parris.”

Needless to say, Bellamy is relishing the camaraderie on the pro circuit.

“The friendships keep you sane on tour,” he said. “If I didn’t have friends here and if I didn’t have buddies to go to dinner with, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”