The Transformation of a Champion and a Campus

Mehvish Safdar’s Journey from Tennis to Pickleball at the Lindner Family Tennis Center

In the fall of 2010, high school freshman Mehvish Safdar and her sister, senior Komal, stood on Center Court, just points away from capturing one of the biggest doubles victories of their young careers.

For two teenagers, playing on Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center was monumental, the same stage where Grand Slam champions and world No. 1s had battled for the Cincinnati Open title.

Now, it was Mehvish and Komal’s chance to make it big. Big in the State of Ohio, that is. That day, Mehvish and Komal seized their chance, winning their Ohio State Girls Division I district match on Center Court and eventually capping the season as state doubles champions.

For Mehvish, this was just the beginning of her time on court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. But her path and her on-court future would unfold in ways she never imagined.

Fast forward to 2025 and Mehvish’s return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center at age 29 was nothing short of sentimental, if not slightly surprising.

“It’s really special,” she said. “Competing here and having family and friends come watch me compete at this PPA Tour stop was just really special and reflective.”

“I grew up watching tennis here at the Cincinnati Open, so it was really just a surreal, full circle moment.”

Mehvish’s tennis career was a success by all accounts: three-time Ohio state champion, top-10 U.S. junior, five-star college recruit and nationally ranked Division I player at the University of Minnesota. For Mehvish, tennis was a way of life. But then, it was done.

“I played tennis for 20 years and really enjoyed it, but I was kind of tapped out after college tennis. I took a bit of a break from any racquet sports,” Mehvish said.

By the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mehvish was immersed in Ph.D. studies in sport psychology. In need of some familiarity – and some healthy competition – Mehvish discovered pickleball. Almost instantly, her years of tennis translated to her new-found hobby and propelled her to even more success, this time trading in a racquet for a paddle.

Mehvish played pickleball at Indiana University where she captured two national titles, rose to No. 1 in collegiate rankings and became the first college player drafted into Major League Pickleball’s premier division. She went on to rank among the top 50 in singles and top 100 in doubles on the Pro Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour world ranking in 2024 before officially signing with the PPA Tour as a pro player in 2025.

In September 2025, pickleball brought Mehvish full circle, back home for the PPA Tour’s Veolia Cincinnati Showcase at the Lindner Family Tennis Center following the site’s $260 million campus transformation.

“I would’ve never thought I’d be playing a different sport here professionally,” Mehvish said. “It’s a stunning world-class facility that we have here, and I think it’s going to draw more attention and more people for the Cincinnati Open for tennis and for the PPA Tour stop at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.”

Both Mehvish and the Lindner Family Tennis Center embody tradition meeting transformation, each blending history, community, investment in the future and openness to change to achieve extraordinary results.

“For me, tennis and pickleball have created so much community and so much opportunity.”

“You build community, you build character, lots of things just being involved in this very booming space,” Mehvish said.

After years of playing on-court, Mehvish is only getting started. In her debut PPA Tour season, she ranks No. 45 in singles and No. 64 in doubles.

Likewise, the Lindner Family Tennis Center, long a stage for world-class tennis, is poised for an even broader future. As a result of the campus transformation, the Lindner Family Tennis Center will be open year-round as a destination for racquet sports and entertainment.

“I think [this campus] is a testament to the popularity and passion people have for both tennis and pickleball,” Mehvish said. “It’s just going to continue to feed that passion that people have and I think it’s going to continue bringing more and more people to [these sports] because it’s just such an enjoyable atmosphere being here as a player or as a fan.”