# Physician Nilesh Desai to play Pickleball World Cup for India 2026-08-27T00:28:54+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Nilesh Desai, a practising physician who runs his own hospital, will represent India in the 50+ squad at the Pickleball World Cup in Da Nang, Vietnam. He took up the sport only three and a half years ago. Last year at the World Cup in the USA, he won gold in the 50+ Singles 4.5 category. He has since added a 50+ Singles title at PPA Malaysia and a silver medal in doubles at the PPA World Championship in Dallas. Desai told Pickleball Now that he trains two to three hours daily despite a full-time medical practice. He is working on improving his backhand drives and agility ahead of the tournament. Unlike his first World Cup, where he was an underdog, Desai said he now feels pressure because of his past win. His approach is to focus one point at a time and block out results. He credits consistency, self-belief, and a line from Novak Djokovic about believing in winning as the first step. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States and is gaining traction in India through the Indian Pickleball Association. Unlike tennis or badminton, it is played on a smaller court with a perforated plastic ball, making it accessible to older athletes. The International Pickleball Federation, which governs the Pickleball World Cup, has been expanding its age-group categories, opening the door for players over 50 to compete internationally. For a physician in active practice, committing 14-21 hours a week to training is a significant logistical challenge, as most competitors are either retired or supported by sponsors. Desai's experience shows the sport is moving from recreational amateur play toward a more competitive tiered system, where even a player in their 50s can now be a title-holder entering a tournament as a favourite. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com Neutral profile of athlete, no government or political angle This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Da Nang, International Pickleball Federation, Nilesh Desai, Pickleball World Cup Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/physician-nilesh-desai-to-play-pickleball-world-cup-for-india/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/physician-nilesh-desai-to-play-pickleball-world-cup-for-india/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/