5 Weeks of City & Country Hopping for a Thing Called Pickleball

One of the funniest questions I get asked in interviews is, “Could you have imagined your life now, five years ago?” The answer is an easy one: absolutely not—even close.

Five years ago, I had just started hearing about this sport called pickleball. And today, I stand here as a gold medalist in the biggest tournament of my career. I’m a US Open Champion—not just once, but three times this year in Pro Singles, Mixed Doubles, and Split Age Doubles.

While I’m playing, I control my emotions pretty well. I remind myself it’s just another day of playing this awesome sport, surrounded by people who love it too—people who cheer for great points regardless of who wins them. But once we were officially driving out of Naples and onto our next stop, it finally sank in: I did it. We did it.

Not that I’ve had much time to catch my breath.

The last five weeks have been a whirlwind:

Chengdu, China → US Open in Naples → Cincinnati APP → Delaware → Vietnam.

Right now, I’m in Ho Chi Minh City, preparing to compete again.

Cincinnati Recap:

I skipped singles, won women’s doubles (medal #69), and then battled it out in mixed doubles—losing a close final, 11-9 in the third. That silver marked my 70th career pro medal on the APP Tour, officially breaking the All-Time Medal Record.

70 medals?!

It’s surreal. Medal collecting was never my goal—just a byproduct of being process-oriented and progress-focused. It’s taken three years of full-time competition to get here, and I’m incredibly grateful to Ken Hermann and the APP Tour for creating a platform where we can compete on our terms. I’m honored to hold this place in APP history.

Delaware:

Not just the first state in America, but the first place we ever heard of pickleball.

It feels like something out of a storybook that after my biggest career win and setting the record, we returned to the place it all began: Lewes, Delaware and Dave Marshall Tennis & Pickleball (DMTP).

Five years ago, during a tough season—Ryler had lost his job with Team USA tennis during COVID—we were jobless and unsure of our next step. Our longtime friend Dave Marshall opened his home and facility to us. We coached tennis, worked the front desk, mopped floors… and fell into pickleball 101 with zero knowledge (thank you, YouTube). Honestly? We thought the sport was kind of boring at first. The scoring was confusing, the bounce too low, and worst of all—we had to tape lines for every lesson because tennis players didn’t want them marked permanently.

This Tuesday, we returned to DMTP, running a clinic on their now permanent pickleball courts with Franklin nets, welcomed warmly by a thriving community. Oh, how much can change in five years—for us and for DMTP.

And now, Vietnam.

Yes, it’s a long journey for just four days on land, but it’s worth it. I’m passionate about supporting the international growth of pickleball and the expansion of new tours. You can check out my December blog for stories from our last visit to Ho Chi Minh with the DJoy Tour. This time, it’s a brand-new facility—24 courts and counting.

Players have come from all over the world—Europe, Australia, across Asia. Reconnecting with friends from every continent is one of my favorite parts of this journey.

Jet lag is real. The days are long, the naps are short. But my heart is full.

This wild, beautiful life all started with a borrowed paddle and a taped line on a tennis court.