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College tennis produces the majority of pro pickleball players

Making up the largest percentage on the PPA Tour, these former NCAA athletes are all over the Top 10.

Published Nov 07, 2024

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The PPA has over 140 players registered on tour, and nearly half of them played college tennis before discovering pickleball.

From NCAA champions to first-team All-Americans to acclaimed doubles teams, professional pickleball is chock full of tennis blood.

Six of the Top 10 in the men’s singles rankings played collegiately.

Tyson McGuffin, PPA Tour No. 4, competed on the ATP tour after college
Connor Garnett, PPA No. 3, was Novak Djokovic’s long-time hitting partner
Federico Staksrud, PPA No. 1, competed at multiple universities
Quang Duong, PPA No. 5 in men's singles, was a top-ranked ITF junior player

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Tyson McGuffin is in the Top 10 in doubles, mixed doubles and singles rankings.

Tyson McGuffin is in the Top 10 in doubles, mixed doubles and singles rankings.

© 2022 Bruce Yeung

The men also have a stronghold in doubles rankings: half of the Top 10 and six out of ten in mixed doubles are former collegiate tennis players. Staksrud, McGuffin and Christian Alshon are in all three Top 10 categories.

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Catherine Parenteau has a similar story, holding Top 10 rankings in all three women’s categories, including No. 1 in doubles with Anna Leigh Waters. Kaitlyn Christian and Lea Jansen are also in Top 5 of the singles race.

Parris Todd and Tyra Black played professional tennis on the ITF tour before turning pickleball pro in 2023. Todd is currently No. 7 in the singles race, while Black is No. 8 in the doubles.

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Vivienne David and Tina Pisnik, two players who didn’t play NCAA tennis but played and coached the sport respectively, are in the mixed doubles race Top 10, along with four collegiate athletes.

Over 140 players are listed on the PPA Tour roster, and 68 played college tennis. And out of those 68 college tennis players turned pickleball professionals, 23 of them make up the Top 10 rankings.