Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.
Rajeev Ram is an American professional tennis player who is a former World no. 1 in doubles. Ram is a six-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2020 Australian Open, the 2021 US Open, the 2022 US Open, and the 2023 US Open in men's doubles with Joe Salisbury, as well as Australian Open mixed doubles titles in 2019 and 2021 alongside Barbora Krejčíková. Ram also won two silver medals, in mixed doubles with Venus Williams at the 2016 Olympics, and in doubles with Austin Krajicek at the 2024 Olympics.
Nikola Mektić is a Croatian professional tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in doubles.
Jack Sock is an American pickleball player and former professional tennis player. He won four career singles titles and 17 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, and had career-high tennis rankings of world No. 8 in singles and world No. 2 in doubles.
Andrei Dăescu is a Romanian professional pickleball player. He is also a former professional tennis player and who played on the ITF Men's Circuit and ATP Tour. He is a former member of the Romania Davis Cup Team, and also played in the prestigious 2015 US Open. He reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of 126, and a career-high singles ranking of 654.
Daniel de la Rosa is a Mexican-born American Professional racquetball and Professional pickleball player. De La Rosa is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in both Men's Singles and Mixed Doubles, winning the titles in 2024 in San Antonio, Texas, where he was also part of the US team that won the Men's Team title.
Noah Rubin is an American professional tennis player. He is a former Wimbledon junior singles champion, and a former USTA junior national champion in both singles and doubles. After turning pro in 2015, he won four ATP Challenger titles.
William Blumberg is an American professional tennis player. A former college player at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Blumberg has a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 74 achieved on September 12, 2022. He reached a career-high of World No. 438 in singles on February 18, 2019.
Helle Sparre is a former professional tennis player from Denmark. She competed during her career under her married name Helle Sparre-Viragh.
Zane Denis Navratil is an American professional pickleball player. He is ranked No. 41 in singles play by the Pro Pickleball Association (PPA) and No. 9 and 2 for doubles and singles respectively by the Association of Pickleball Players (APP). He has had a sponsorship with Franklin Sports since 2021. He has won over 80 medals over the course of his professional career. Players and commentators have nicknamed Zane "Gucci" as a reference to his tremendous skill in the sport.
Simone Jardim is a Brazilian-American professional pickleball player. Jardim was ranked the number one woman player in the world from 2016 to 2020. She won the US Open women's singles four consecutive times and is a two-time triple crown winner of the US Open Pickleball championships, winning in singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles in 2017 and 2018. As of 2021, Jardim holds the record for most women's Pro Pickleball Association titles with 32. Jardim is a former All-American collegiate tennis player and was the head tennis coach at Michigan State University from 2009 to 2016.
This glossary provides definitions and context for terminology related to, and jargon specific to, the sport of pickleball. Words or phrases in italics can be found on the list in their respective alphabetic sections.
Anna Leigh Waters is an American professional pickleball player. As of October 2022, she is ranked No. 1 in the world for doubles, No. 1 for mixed doubles, and No. 1 for singles by the Professional Pickleball Association. She was the youngest professional pickleball player in history at age 12, and is known for playing doubles in a team with her mother, Leigh Waters.
Rick Witsken is a former American tennis player and pickleball player, tennis coach, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Team Witsken and co-founder of the National Pickleball League (NPL).
Jocelyn “Jay” Devilliers is a French professional pickleball player. As of August 12, 2023, he is ranked No. 4 in the world for Men's Singles, No. 7 in the world for Men's Doubles, and No. 9 in the world for Men's Mixed Doubles by the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA).
Catherine Parenteau is a Canadian professional pickleball player. As of August 12, 2023, she is ranked No. 3 in the world for Woman's Singles, No. 3 in the world for Woman's Doubles, and No. 3 in the world for Woman's Mixed Doubles by the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA).
Kyle Yates is an American pickleball player.
Pickleball, a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, is growing rapidly within India. The Times Now reported in September 2024 that over 50,000 people in India played the game over the previous 18 months and at the time there were over 500 courts throughout the country, with 40 or 50 new courts being added every month. The popularity of pickleball is causing waiting lists for booking courts. Its increasing reach is attracting sponsors and investment.
