Sports were never just about competition for Nancy Liu. They were about building connections with people, traveling the world, and creating community.

Before she ever knew anything about pickleball, Liu played competitive basketball for 18 years. A knee injury would eventually prevent her from continuing to compete at the level she was accustomed to. However, instead of abandoning the sport she loved so dearly, she found another way to stay connected to it by creating content and sharing stories around the game.

Liu spent 63 days traveling across 33 cities in 8 different countries across Europe, documenting the stories of professional basketball and national teams in an effort to inspire younger generations to get active and play.

While Liu's journey began with basketball, her desire to explore all types of sports continued long after she stopped playing.

Finding a New Sport After Basketball

After her injury, Liu decided to explore nearly every form of physical activity she could think of. She practiced yoga, tried CrossFit, salsa dancing, boxing, and even trained for triathlons.

However, once she began learning about a "new" sport called pickleball, it was only a matter of time before she developed a love for it.

When Liu returned home to Taiwan after working around the world on Olympic Games, she reached out to her Olympic committee about a new sport she had recently discovered: pickleball. It did not take long for her to understand why so many people love the game.

After her first session playing pickleball, she was hooked. By her third time playing, she described herself as addicted. Even before she stepped onto the court herself, Pickleball TV had already become a regular part of her daily routine.

What initially started as another sport to try quickly became something much bigger.

Pickleball Provided Much More Than a New Athletic Challenge

What drew Liu to pickleball wasn't only the athletic challenge it presented, but also the opportunity to find a form of therapy and refuge during some of the tougher periods of her life.

Through pickleball, she found a community (just like she did with Basketball) and made new friends who shared similar interests. Through this new community and their shared love of the game, she found a strong sense of belonging that extended beyond the court itself.

She also enjoys the simple pleasures that come with being outside, playing under the sun, and spending quality time with others. That sense of belonging is what drives her belief that pickleball can make a positive difference in people's lives far beyond the confines of the court.

The ability to create those connections is also part of what makes the broader pickleball community so meaningful to players around the world.

Growing Pickleball in Asia — and the Rest of the World

Although Liu is excited about growing pickleball in Asia, her dreams do not stop there. She envisions seeing the sport spread throughout Africa and other parts of the world as well.

There are several reasons Liu is so enthusiastic about the future of pickleball. First and foremost, it gives athletes the opportunity to challenge themselves competitively. At the same time, pickleball surrounds players with people who share common goals and a love for the game.

This combination of athletic competition and social connection is exactly what draws Liu to the sport.

For Liu, this social aspect is particularly significant. She believes pickleball has the ability to provide something many people are searching for today: connection.

That sense of community is becoming increasingly important as the growth of pickleball across Asia continues, bringing more players, clubs, tournaments, and communities into the sport.

For that reason, one of Liu's greatest passions is now getting others involved in playing the game.

A Lifetime Spent Exploring Sports: One Passion Leads to Another

After a lifetime spent exploring different sports, Liu has found one that embodies many of the qualities that mean the most to her: competition, challenge, friendship, and community.

As pickleball continues to expand throughout the region, including through DUPR's continued growth in Asia, @courtsidewithnancy is helping showcase the people and communities behind that growth.

So, what does the future hold for Liu?

@courtsidewithnancy will evolve into a media platform where the community can gather and connect with each other on and offline, in short: exciting things ahead. Stay tuned!