How do you go from a new player to winning Swedish Championship gold and top placements in Swedish pickleball? SwePickleball interviewed Johan Björkman from Stockholm about his journey into the sport, competitive achievements, rating, training, and best tips for other players.
Johan started playing pickleball in the autumn of 2023 and was immediately hooked. With a background in football and badminton, he quickly brought both a competitive instinct and racket familiarity into the sport.
The interview was originally published on December 22, 2024. Information about rating, ranking, venues, and equipment refers to the time the interview was conducted.
How Johan Björkman started playing pickleball
How did you get into pickleball, and how long have you been playing?
I’ve basically followed one of my best friends, Mattias Johansson, and his pickleball journey since 2020. I watched many of his big matches live and was inspired.
I'm a football guy myself, but I've always really liked racket sports! I competed in badminton parallel to football until I was 17 and have always enjoyed tennis and table tennis too.
So in October 2023, Peter Ferber and I went to Enskede Rackethall and played an hour of singles pickleball and were immediately hooked! So fun and so sweaty!
If you're new to the sport yourself, you can start with our guide Pickleball for beginners.
How much pickleball does Johan play?
How many hours of pickleball do you play per week?
I play between 4–6 hours a week. I’d love to play more, but it takes a toll on my back, so I need to find a balance with alternative training.
What makes pickleball so fun?
What do you think makes pickleball so enjoyable?
Everything! The competitive element! I love to compete, especially individually – the man-to-man battle. Also in doubles; the thrill! The social aspect!
That it resembles mini-tennis, especially singles, which I played a lot with my friends as a boy. The complexity of doubles pickleball. It's quick to learn but takes a long time to master.
More tactics and cunning play than you realize. I think it's so incredibly fun!
If you want to deepen your tactical understanding, you can read our guide on pickleball tactics.
An active life outside the pickleball court
What do you do when you're not playing pickleball?
I still run quite a bit – I’ve run 13 marathons – and I’m involved with my 17-year-old son’s football team as a team manager and assistant coach.
I’ve been a football coach for almost 20 years, but now I mostly help out when needed. I enjoy watching football and horse racing!
Johan Björkman on his pickleball rating
What is your pickleball rating, and would you say your rating matches reality?
In singles, my rating is 3.95 and in doubles, it's 3.38. I'm ranked 8th in Sweden in singles, so that rating is probably quite relevant.
In doubles, I'm ranked 18th in Sweden and I would probably say the rating is a bit low after all. It felt like it stagnated for a while even though we, Peter and I, achieved decent results in some tournaments.
The rating and ranking data above refers to December 2024.
If you want to understand how the skill assessment works, you can read our page on pickleball rating and our guide to DUPR rating.
Swedish Championship gold and competitive achievements
What is your greatest achievement in pickleball?
It would have to be the SM gold in singles 50+ from Sundsvall in May, which was great fun!
I also have a silver and a bronze medal from two SPT 100 tournaments in singles, but I would still say that the fourth place from SPT 400 in Bromma in August is the biggest achievement considering the competition.
The field there was basically the same as in the Pro class at the SM in Sundsvall this spring.
If you want to start competing yourself, you can read more on our page about pickleball competitions in Sweden.
Where does Johan play pickleball?
Which venue do you usually play at? And do you have a favorite venue?
I mostly play at my "home court" Boo Gårds Sporthall where we've started a pickleball section within our school sports association. I also play quite a bit at Centurion Padel in Sickla.
My favorite venue is probably Frysen in Strängnäs, which unfortunately had to close down. A fantastic facility with amazing hard courts!
Gefle Pickleball also has an awesome facility where they've converted padel courts into pickleball courts. That makes one envious!
We hope it will be good in Solna when they open in February.
The venues above reflect the situation at the time of the interview.
If you want to find more playing opportunities in the region, you can read our page about pickleball in Stockholm or our comprehensive overview of pickleball clubs and courts in Sweden.
Johan Björkman's favorite shot
What is your favorite shot or trick on the pickleball court?
Two-handed straight backhand. :) Also cross-court.
Which pickleball paddle does Johan play with?
What paddle do you play with?
Engage Pursuit EX Pro.
The paddle choice above refers to December 2024.
Which racket suits you best depends on factors such as playing style, skill level, and whether you prioritize control, feel, or power. Read our guide to pickleball paddles if you want to compare different features.
Players Johan looks up to
Is there any pickleball player you look up to?
I like Tyson McGuffin, great player and cool character! My good friend Mattias "Chuck" Johansson, of course.
In Sweden, I have to say Dan Balldin. Great player in both singles and doubles, and also very likable.
Ambitions with pickleball
What are your ambitions with your pickleball playing?
My ambition is to be able to continue playing for as long as possible into old age and I hope the sport grows. It feels a bit of a shame that I didn't discover this sport 10–15 years ago.
At the same time, it's cool to be able to compete on equal terms against 17–18-year-olds and actually challenge them.
A small goal is also to become the highest-ranked 50+ player in Sweden in 2025 – I have two tough old guys ahead of me right now – and perhaps even break into the top 5 overall.
In doubles, it would be fun to get into the top 10 list! I want to continue competing and developing more in doubles. Mixed doubles would also be fun to try a bit more!
The goals above were Johan's ambitions when the interview was conducted in December 2024.
Johan's best tips for getting better at pickleball
What is your tip for others to become a better pickleball player?
Practice diligently and don't just play matches in training, but also do a lot of "drills". Maybe not as fun, but necessary if you want to improve.
Challenge yourself and enter tournaments! It's one thing to play well in training, but to perform when it counts, you also need to get used to the "competitive nerves"!
This is advice that recurs in several of our player interviews: match play is not enough if you truly want to develop. Targeted training on, for example, serve, return, volley, dink, and positioning allows you to work more systematically on your weaknesses.
You can find more basics in our guides on pickleball technique and pickleball tactics.
From new player to competitive player
Johan's journey shows how quickly development can happen for a player with great motivation and prior racket experience. From his first pickleball session in the autumn of 2023, he went on to competitions, rankings, and Swedish Championship gold.
This does not, of course, mean that everyone needs to aim for competition. But for those of you who become curious about the competitive side of the sport, there are plenty of opportunities to try it out.
See current opportunities on our page about pickleball competitions.
Equipment to develop your game
In our pickleball shop you will find equipment for both training and competition.
Explore among other things pickleball paddles, pickleball balls, pickleball shoes, pickleball clothing and pickleball accessories.
About the interview
The interview with Johan Björkman was originally published by SwePickleball on December 22, 2024. Information about ranking, rating, venues, goals, and equipment refers to the situation at the time of the interview.
A big thank you to Johan for the chat and for sharing his experiences and tips with other pickleball players.
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