When Imani Phillips graduated with a law degree from Cardiff University in July, she was expected to immediately put that qualification to good use.

Instead, the 22-year-old has decided not to delve into the corporate world for now. Phillips is determined to turn professional in pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

“My plans are not to practice law right now,’’ Phillips told The Royal Gazette. “It was an amazing degree and I learnt so much. I use my law qualification every day, but pickleball is my passion and I’m just going to give it the best shot that I can.”

The older sister to Daniel Phillips, Bermuda’s Davis Cup player, has taken up the role of head pickleball professional at the Manders Tennis Movement. Phillips is working closely with Tariq Simons, who was recently appointed the tennis director at MTM.

A former tennis player, Phillips picked pickleball during the Covid-19 pandemic. That is when there were restrictions in place and she had to find another racket sport to play.

“I started just by hitting around Covid-19 then my 18th birthday present was actually a paddle,’’ the aspiring professional said.

“I randomly got certified two years ago so I could coach on the island. I grew in love with the sport and this summer, when I graduated from law school, was a massive shift.

“That’s when I decided I wanted to pursue the sport professionally. I just want pickleball to be a part of my everyday life.”

While she is looking to grow pickleball in Bermuda, Phillips is also one of the players that have been chosen to fly the island’s flag at the Pickleball World Cup, to be held in Peru from October 21 to 28.

Also in her schedule are two Association of Pickleball Players tournaments in the United States.

“The goal is to go all the way,’’ she said. “Right now I have the World Cup lined up at the end of October, and then two more APP tournaments in Florida.

“I’m on the path to becoming a pickleball professional, whatever that looks like. I’ll be playing in tournaments and in the process of seeking sponsorship for me to achieve that goal.

“I want to go train at Naples Pickleball Centre in Florida. The plan is to go there, do my training and play my last tournament in December, then re-evaluate my professional journey.”

The aspiring pickleball player is heading to Lima with a view to pick up as many lessons that will aid her journey in the sport.

“It's the first-of-its-kind so I think the first expectation is to just be present at an event like that,’’ Phillips said.

“That’s one closer to becoming a pickleball hub, it’s already a fast-growing sport in Bermuda. From there, we should aim to play our best and see what our level is and what our position would be among the group.

“I’m going there to do nothing other than to learn, so I will try to do a lot of that and see how it goes.”

Since she got involved with MTM in August, an academy has been established to teach pickleball to young athletes.

“We've started the pickleball academy and that’s going great,’’ she added.

“It’s so great to have children out on the court. We did a free clinic during lunch hour to get more of the corporate crowd.

“We have a lot of things that we want to do. We want to push the sport and turn Bermuda into a pickleball hub.

“We’re putting in developmental plans to work on specific areas of the game. The idea is not just for people to play, but to get better as well and understand more of the game.

“There’s not a lot of information out there because it’s a growing sport. It’s about spreading that information to as many people as we can.

“I’m really enjoying this role, it’s my dream to do this everyday. It’s an amazing way to grow the sport on the island.

“While I’m working on becoming a pickleball professional player, alongside that, my dream is to grow the sport in Bermuda.

“I want as many people out with me on the court. I think becoming professional and getting to the top of the sport will help me achieve that.”