A top pickleball pro is from Tampa, where you’ll find “great play”

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing recreational activities in America; hundreds of amateurs and pros are competing this week at a PPA professional pickleball tournament in Holly Hill in Volusia County.

“There’s two ways I like to describe it as it’s either like really tiny tennis or really big ping pong and it’s played with a wiffle ball and a paddle,” according to Rachel Rohrabacher, a Tampa-based professional pickleball player. Rohrabacher says pickleball is growing as a spectator sport.

“I think the past events that we just played last week in San Clemente is a great example of just even in the time that I’ve started in the past year. The amount of fans there and support for the players has just grown tremendously. And it’s just a really incredible thing,” she said.

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According to the PPA, more than 320,000 fans attended events on the PPA Tour and MLP (Major League Pickleball) in 2004. That’s an increase of 40% over 2023.

This month Rohrabacher was awarded the 2024 Most Improved Player in MLP Premier Level.

In doubles, Rohrabacher often pairs up with Anna Bright; it’s the second-ranked women’s doubles team on the PPA Tour.

““We sound like a broken record saying this, but, we are such good friends on and off the court. I think that that truly helps us. We have — I learned this through college — If you don’t trust the people that you’re competing with and playing with then you might not be competing to the level you are. Or, like, have the trust between your partner. It’s just so important. So we really trust each other, especially with feedback. It helps us work through things on the court. It helps us communicate with each other, good and bad. We both know what we need on the court. And it’s just it just really works for us. And we’re also a similar type of competitor. We like to be loud. We like to be super intense and we just know each other so well. So it’s really paid off,” Rohrabacher says of her doubles partner, Anna Bright.

Rohrabacher says it’s easy to find great play in the state, even in the Tampa Bay area. “Yes, I think that anywhere in Florida you’re going to have some luck and success at most levels finding great play. I think it’s not known as a hotspot for professional players, but there is a couple of professional players, Travis Rettenmaier’s one. He’s actually in the St. Pete area, but that’s so close And there are some great facilities,” Rohrabacher said.

Rettenmaier is competing in this week’s tournament on the East Coast and said there are facilities for recreational pickleball players in St. Petersburg.

“Come to Crescent Lake [Park], you know, come to our park, come to Fossil [Park], and there’s games going all the time,” Rettenmaier said.

The tournament in Holly Hill continues through Sunday.

Watch WMNF’s interview with Rachel Rohrabacher: