India’s Vishal Laungani is one of the poster boys of Indian pickleball, finding success in the competitive side of things, as well as in the business side of it thanks to his successful pickleball store. But he really made his mark at PicklePulse 2025, where he won two gold medals in Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles with Craig Correa as his partner.
Speaking to Pickle Now about his twin titles at PicklePulse, the affable Laungani admitted he might have had some home-court advantage as the tournament was held in the same facility where he coaches pickleball. But Laungani’s familiarity with the playing venue probably wasn’t the biggest reason he won two gold medals at PicklePulse 2025. The likelihood is that he won fair and square because of some secrets all successful athletes know by heart: discipline, and sacrifice.
When it comes to sacrifice, Laungani is talking about the kind that pushes an athlete to show up when no one’s looking to train, practise, and get better—even without the fanfare and the limelight.
“It’s about sacrificing on your sleep. You have to be there at least four days a week in the morning. It’s not just you coming on the match day and winning. It’s about all the sacrifices that you put in before the event, and that eventually helps you win,” he said.
Of course, sacrifice goes hand in hand with discipline, which is something Laungani emphasised as well to Pickle Now. After all, it is only with discipline that one can make sacrifices, and be consistent with it.
“That is all practice. You have to be consistent. You have to be on the good hustling, and that is how you eventually stabilise with,” added Laungani, who beat his close friend, Dhanvin Bhole, in the final of PicklePulse 2025 in a battle of what Laungani described as “about who can be more consistent and stronger mentally.”
On that fateful final, Laungani was more consistent and stronger mentally, and he is hoping more Indian pickleball players could take his lead and follow his path in competitive pickleball. He even has a pretty clear idea on how this could happen: more coaches, more courts, and more affordable ways to play courtesy of the government.
“More coaches should come in, and it should be more affordable so that more people can play,” he said. “If the government builds public courts like they have cricket grounds or tennis courts in the US, then the sport will truly grow.”
The sport surely is growing in India, and thanks to guys like Vishal Laungani, it will probably continue to grow—to the point that India will have a pipeline of players who are not only talented, but also disciplined and willing to make the sacrifices greatness entails.
Vishal Laungani is already one of them.
