Dekel Bar wears a blue-and-white wristband. For Bar, a professional pickleball player with a No. 32 world ranking, the wristband is functional but also sends a message: that he is a proud Israeli.
“Ever since Oct. 7, I’ve been wearing it,” Bar, 33, told JNS. “It’s my way of showing support wherever I am playing, and a lot of people like that. I get a lot of good comments about it. I’m sure there’s a lot of people that don’t like it, but I feel like we should always do what we think is right and show support to our people.”
Bar will be among the competitors vying for the top title at the national Pickleball World Championships beginning on Nov. 2 in Dallas. He made the finals of the tournament two years ago, and he has claimed three other titles in his professional career. His last win came in mixed doubles at the PPA Tour Red Rock Open in 2025.
When he strides onto the court, he won’t be surprised to hear cheers from fans waving Israeli flags.
“That has happened a few times,” he said. “The Jewish community has shown a lot of support wherever I go, which is very cool. There’s a little community in each place that we’ve gone to, and it’s always nice to see. And people come up to me after a match to chat. I have a lot of fans because of my Israeli heritage.”
More than 24 million Americans play pickleball, according to a 2026 Sports & Fitness Industry Association report. It is now the fastest-growing sport in the United States, a title it has held for five consecutive years. The sport is also experiencing global growth, including in Israel.
‘There are different rules’
That wasn’t the case when Bar grew up in Haifa. He took up tennis when he was 9.
“I played tennis professionally until I was 23,” he said. “Then I had some abdominal injuries, and I was out for a year-and-a-half and decided to stop. I started studying at IDC Herzliya University. I already knew about pickleball because I traveled with Collin Johns on the ATP Tennis Tour.”
ATP is the premier worldwide professional tennis circuit. Collin Johns (world ranking No. 28) and his brother Ben Johns (world ranking No. 1) also achieved success after transitioning from tennis to pickleball.
Bar went all in on pickleball in 2020. His tennis skills came in handy, but there was still a learning curve.
“There are a lot of different shots in pickleball and a lot of different tactics, but tennis was a good background and base to start with,” he said. “In pickleball, there are different rules. I had to learn a lot of new shots and new techniques. You eventually understand the patterns of the game and how to win more points.”
He also enjoyed the camaraderie of the professional pickleball community, which is far different than the nomadic life of a touring tennis pro.
‘It’s so much more social’
“Getting into pickleball after tennis, it was so much more social,” he said. “You immediately have a lot of friends. People in the community were very welcoming. And I do like the fact that you have a partner. You have travel buddies or friends that you’re training with. You have meals with them. And you get to know people on a more personal level.”
Like tennis and golf, pickleball touring pros must cover their own travel, lodging, equipment and entry fees. Bar helps offset those expenses with two other businesses he runs, Pickleball 360, an instructional video subscription service, and Pickleball Getaways.
“I started Pickleball Getaways together with Ben Johns,” Bar said. “We have trips all over the world. Now, we’re up to about 20 trips a year. It’s a full-time gig, and it’s very, very fun.”
The popularity of pickleball, Bar told JNS, is due largely to it being available to players of all abilities. Age is not a barrier, nor is physical condition. Good hand-eye coordination is definitely a plus.
Bar has that skill and, at 6-foot-3-inches, has a commanding presence. After injuries sidelined his tennis career, he didn’t initially think he would have a second chance at playing a professional sport competitively. He relishes the wins, the training, and even being recognized by fans at airports while traveling.
“I’m very blessed,” Bar said. “I don’t take it lightly, and I try to represent well.”
He told JNS that "it’s very cool that pickleball has grown so much, and to be in a position where kids and adults and people come and say how much they appreciate what I do, and to represent the country of Israel. I’ve been very, very lucky with pickleball.”