XI Racquetball World Championships - San Juan, Puerto Rico 2002 - | |
Host | San Juan ![]() |
Dates | August 3 - August 10 |
Men teams | |
Champions ![]() | ![]() |
Runners-up ![]() | ![]() |
Third place ![]() | ![]() |
Fourth place | ![]() |
Women teams | |
Champions ![]() | ![]() |
Runners-up ![]() | ![]() |
Third place ![]() | ![]() |
Fourth place | ![]() |
Men's singles | |
Gold ![]() | ![]() |
Silver ![]() | ![]() |
Bronze ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
Women's singles | |
Gold ![]() | ![]() |
Silver ![]() | ![]() |
Bronze ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
The International Racquetball Federation's 11th Racquetball World Championships were held in San Juan (Puerto Rico) from August 3 to August 10, 2002, with 32 men's national teams and 19 women's national teams; and several players in the Singles and Doubles competition.
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Winners CANADA |
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Winners United States |
Winner |
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JACK HUCZEK ![]() |
Winner |
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CHERYL GUDINAS ![]() |
Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velocity and control. Unlike most racquet sports, such as tennis and badminton, there is no net to hit the ball over, and, unlike squash, no tin to hit the ball above. Also, the court's walls, floor, and ceiling are legal playing surfaces, with the exception of court-specific designated hinders being out-of-bounds. Racquetball is played between various players on a team who try to bounce the ball with the racquet onto the ground so it hits the wall, so that an opposing team’s player cannot bounce it back to the wall.
Sudsy Monchik, is an American racquetball player. As a five-time Pro World Champion, Monchik is one of the top 3 players in the history of the sport.
Rocky Carson is an American professional racquetball player. Carson has won a record 5 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Men's Singles, and 2 Pan American Games gold medals in singles. He was the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) in 2007-08 & 2017–18. Carson has also played outdoor racquetball, and in 2008, he became the first man to win Men's Singles at the World Outdoor Championship, as well as the indoor IRF World Championship, and US Open. Carson has won 27 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) titles and has been ranked in the top 10 for a record 23 seasons.
Rhonda Rajsich is an American racquetball player. She has been World Champion in Women's Singles twice, and Pan American Champion 6 times, as well as US Open champion four times. Rajsich was the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour season ending rankings four times – three straight seasons from 2005–06 to 2007-08 and then again in 2010–11. She is of Serbian descent.
Paola Michelle Longoria López is a Mexican racquetball player. She is the current Women's World Champion in Singles and the Team event, winning both divisions at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) 2024 World Championships in San Antonio, Texas. Longoria is the most winning player in IRF World Championship history, and she is the only woman to win both singles and doubles at Worlds. Longoria is also the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) tour, and was the first Mexican woman to attain the #1 pro ranking, doing so at the end of the 2008–09 season. She repeated the feat at the end of 2009–2010 season, and has been #1 for ten consecutive seasons. Longoria's style is characterized by a semi-western grip of the racquet, which is unusual for racquetball; Longoria is the only pro player using this grip style.
Germany national racquetball team represents the German Racquetball Federation in racquetball international competitions. Competes as a member of the European Racquetball Federation and International Racquetball Federation. Germany has won the European Championships 5 times in men's competition and 4 in overall's.
Jennifer "Jen" Saunders is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In her last Canadian Championships in 2019, Saunders won both Women's Singles, for a record extending 11th time, and Women's Doubles, for a 13th time. Her 11 Canadian Women's Singles Championships and 24 combined Canadian Women's Singles and Doubles Championships are Canadian women's records. Saunders was the 2009 Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year as voted by the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Saunders announced her retirement from competition in December 2019, as she accepted the position of Administrator of High Performance and Sport Development with Racquetball Canada. In July 2020, Saunders was named as one of the 2020 inductees into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
Ireland national racquetball team represents Ireland and the Racquetball Association of Ireland in racquetball international competitions. It competes as a member of the European Racquetball Federation and International Racquetball Federation. Ireland has won the European Championships 8 times in men's competition, 13 times in women's competition and 10 times overall.
Lori Jane Powell was a Canadian racquetball player from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Powell was Pan American Champion twice and Canadian Champion five times. She retired in 2007 due to a right knee injury.
The Netherlands national racquetball team represents the Nederlandse Racquetball Associatie in racquetball international competitions. Is a member of the European Racquetball Federation and International Racquetball Federation. The Netherlands has won the European Championships 3 times in overall's competition, 2 times in men's and 1 in women's competition.
The Italy national racquetball team represents the Federazione Italiana Racquetball in racquetball international competitions. Is a member of the European Racquetball Federation and International Racquetball Federation.
Belgium national racquetball team represents the Belgian Racquetball Federation in racquetball international competitions. Is a member of the European Racquetball Federation since 1985 and International Racquetball Federation. Ireland has won the European Championships 9 times in women's competition, 7 times in overall's and 5 in men's competition.
France national racquetball team represents the Fédération Française de Racquetball in racquetball international competitions. It is a member of the European Racquetball Federation and International Racquetball Federation.
Mike Green is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Burlington, Ontario. Green set the record for Men's Singles Canadian Championships at 11 in 2017, which broke a tie he had with Sherman Greenfeld. He also won 10 Men's Doubles Canadian Championships, and together those 21 Canadian titles are the most for a Canadian man.
Josée Grand'Maître is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Hull, Quebec. Grand'Maître won the Canadian Women's Singles title three times, and the Canadian Women's Doubles title 15 times. Her last title came in doubles in May 2014 with Jennifer Saunders as her partner. Grand'Maître's 15 doubles titles are the most ever, and her 18 combined titles place her third on the all time list behind Saunders (20) and Mike Green (21).
Aimee Ruiz is a left-handed American racquetball player. She is a three time Women's Doubles World Champion, and a 13 time USA Racquetball Champion in Women's Doubles, most recently winning the title in 2020 with Erika Manilla. In addition to her USA doubles titles, Ruiz has one USA National Women's Singles title. Ruiz was named to the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Frédérique Lambert is a Canadian racquetball player. Lambert is the current Canadian Champion in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles, and has won eleven Canadian Championships: six in Women's Singles and five in Women's Doubles. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2008, and has won several medals in international competitions, including a silver medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2022 World Championships. Lambert was the #2 ranked player in back to back Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) seasons: 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Janel Tisinger is an American racquetball player. She is the current USA Racquetball National Champion in Women's Doubles winning the title for a 5th time in 2019 with Aimee Ruiz. Tisinger is former World Champion in Women's Doubles, with Ruiz, winning the title in 2016.
The International Racquetball Federation's 20th Racquetball World Championships was held in Guatemala City, Guatemala from November 29-December 6, 2021. The event was to be held in the summer of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of the event.
The International Racquetball Federation's 21st Racquetball World Championships were held at the La Loma Centro Deportivo in San Luis Potosí, Mexico from August 20–27, 2022.