Congratulations athletes and thank you to everyone for a great 2024 Nationals!

USA PICKLEBALL

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

History of USA Pickleball Nationals

From the most dominant amateurs to the best pickleball pros, Nationals will feature the crème de la crème of the sport. Whether you’re a player or spectator, don’t miss your chance to witness a momentous week of top-level play!

A Look Back:

Pickleball Nationals History

USA Pickleball, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has been proud to serve as the National Governing Body of the sport of pickleball in the United States for more than 40 years. With a mission to promote the development and growth of pickleball in the United States and its territories, USA Pickleball was originally founded as an all-volunteer organization.

Since then, it’s grown into a 80,000 member-strong organization run by full time staff, a board of directors and dedicated support system of nation-wide ambassadors and referees, providing players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and more.

With a history to be proud of, we invite you to take a look back in time at the longevity of our Pickleball Nationals.

2007
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2007

USA Pickleball’s Board of Directors voted to establish its first National Tournament with a goal of showcasing the best pickleball talent.

2009
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2009
The first USA Pickleball Nationals had just under 400 participants from 26 states and several Canadian provinces. The very first medals were awarded to Ken Kraft (Bothell, WA) and Charlie Robinson (Sun City West, AZ) – winners in the Men’s Doubles 75+ age division.
2010-11
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2010-11
USA Pickleball Nationals were held at Sun City Festival in Arizona with Fran Myer and Dennis Duey as Tournament Directors. Participation continued to grow and the demographics shifted. What began as an event that drew mostly senior participants now started to capture the interest of younger players and high-level tennis players crossing over to pickleball. Dominance by players from Washington, Arizona, California and Florida gave way to players from a wider representation from all over North America.
2012
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2012
For the 2012 USA Pickleball Nationals, the Tournament Director responsibilities were shared by Steve Wong and Gigi LeMaster. Both were high level players who were able to bring a professional and more youthful perspective to the event.
2013-14
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2013-14
USA Pickleball President David Jordan and USA Pickleball Executive Director Justin Maloof assumed the role of Tournament Directors. Participants exceeded 700 and the number of courts increased to 28.
2015
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2015
In 2015, the National Championships moved to Casa Grande, Arizona. With championship courts and better facilities, the move proved to be a welcomed next step in the expansion of the tournament. This year also featured the first presenting corporate sponsor (Aetna) and was also the first time the event was live streamed to the public
2016-17
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2016-17
The National Championships remained in Casa Grande for two more years. The 2016 event saw registrations capped as demand exceeded available court space. In 2017, 12 courts were added for a total of 44 courts. Despite the additional courts, registration had to be quickly capped as registrations surged past 1,300 players within the first hour. This marked the first time the event was broadcast to a national audience with coverage on CBS Sports Network.
2018
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2018
USA Pickleball and Desert Champions, LLC partnered on a multi-year agreement to host the tournament at the world-renowned Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. The 2018 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships featured 45 championship caliber pickleball courts and the world’s largest pickleball championship court. A record 2,200 players competed in more than 4,300 matches. The largest cash purse ($75,000) in the history of the sport was awarded. More than 17 hours of the event were live-streamed to a nationwide audience on ESPN3 and a special, 1-hour highlight program aired nationally on ESPNEWS.
2019
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2019
Spectators were treated to a new VIP lounge and live video screens were added to the food and beverage area. The 10-day event had an overall turnout of nearly 28,000 fans, and later won the Racquet Sports Industry Magazine award for ‘Pickleball Tournament of the Year’ due to its impact on the sport.
2020
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2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the cancellation of events around the globe, the 2020 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships did not take place.

2021
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2021
The 2021 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships hosted 2,342 players, 3,944 matches, 87 USA Pickleball certified referees and 172 brackets. Fourteen-year-old phenom Anna Leigh Waters became the youngest player in history to win at Nationals.
2022
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2022
In 2022, the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships were once again held at Indian Wells, drawing nearly 2,300 registered players with pros competing for $150,000 in prize money. A two-hour program was aired to a nationwide audience on ESPNU. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden also hosted 5,522 fans at the peak of Championship Sunday, the largest-ever pickleball attendance in history.
2023
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2023

The 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships powered by Invited and the PPA Tour had a record turnout. 50,000 people descended upon Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas to take part in the biggest event in the history of the sport. This year marked a total of 6,928 matches and players turned out from 49 states and Washington D.C. Collectively, over 2.6 million TV viewers tuned in during the tournament to catch 20+ hours of coverage on ESPN, Tennis Channel and PickleballTV.

2024
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2024

This year pays homage to USA Pickleball’s rich history with a return to Arizona at the Arizona Athlete Grounds in Mesa. With the return to the Valley of the Sun, we’ll welcome pickleball players at all levels from across the nation to join us on 41 outdoor pickleball courts including a fully shaded stadium court in the 300-acre complex.

USA Pickelball has a long history in advancing the sport of pickleball across the United States. We invite you to learn more about our national governing body.
Learn More

Please Note
Results for the 2024 Biofreeze USA Pickleball Nationals are published on the UTR website. Clicking the link below will take you to the UTR results site and you must be logged into your UTR account to view the results.
Click Here to Access Results

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Eric Decker

Former NFL Wide Receiver

Eric Decker is an accomplished athlete, entrepreneur, TV personality, spokesperson, thought leader, and philanthropist.

A wide receiver for the NFL from 2010-2018, Decker played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans. He played the Super Bowl in 2014, received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2015, and was honored as United Way’s Hometown Hero at the XXIII Gridiron Gala in 2016. A Minnesota native, he also set football records and made Big Ten Conference history while attending University of Minnesota and he competed on the Golden Gophers’ baseball team as an outfielder, getting selected twice in the Major League Baseball Draft.

While playing for the NFL, Decker also starred in the E! reality series Eric & Jessie: Game On with his wife, the top-performing country singer Jessie James Decker. Over three seasons, the show chronicled the couple as they juggled family, fame and football.

Since retiring from the NFL in 2018, Decker, who has bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from the University of Minnesota, has run Kittenish, the popular, Nashville-based fashion brand designed by wife Jessie James Decker. As president of the company, the brand has expanded as a successful online retailer with three brick-and-mortar stores located in Nashville, Dallas, and Tampa.

As a philanthropist, Decker is a longtime supporter of HopeKids, whose mission is to restore hope and transform the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions, their families and communities. He is also a board member for Nashville Wine Auction, a self-sustaining, non-profit organization which exists solely to raise funds to support the fight against cancer.

In 2023, Decker received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota.

A thought leader and spokesperson, Decker is often tapped for his expertise in business, health and fitness, and sports.

He resides in Nashville with his wife and four children.

To learn more or to contact Decker, please visit decker87.com or follow him at @ericdecker.