2023 APP U . S . Next Gen National Team . Photo courtesy of the Association of Pickleball Players .
$ 15,000 in prize money but , more importantly , each event also incorporates educational seminars and on-court learning to assist the next generation of top American talent in achieving their goals of becoming professional pickleball players .
International growth was also on the task list this year , which is important to help pickleball become an Olympic sport — it cannot be American-dominated . The APP partnered with five federations internationally to help grow the sport in their respective countries . The English Open in Shropshire , England ; the Monsoon Pickleball Championship in Mumbai , India ; the GAMMA Sweden Open in Helsingborg , Sweden ; the Spanish Open in Salamanca , Spain ; and most recently the Gem Life Australian Pickleball Championships in Sydney , Australia , were all powered by the APP .
“ I was able to attend two of these events and was amazed by how the sport has taken off in those countries , and how closely they are following the sport here in America ,” says Herrmann . “ One of my highlights was taking the APP Next Gen initiative internationally . I was able to spend time on-court with 12 of Australia ’ s top aspiring pros and ran them through a two-hour on-court session , then afterward visited with them for another 20 minutes [ talking about ] what it is like to be a professional player in America .”
Partnering with USA Pickleball also means that several of the APP Tour stops in 2023 were qualifiers for the 2023 National Championships in November . “ Golden Ticket ” winners earned the opportunity to play in the USA Pickleball National Championships . The growth of this partnership is a testament to the increasing interest in pickleball on both amateur and professional levels .
One of the highlights for anyone on the APP Tour this year was getting to play at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens , New York . An iconic venue that is home to the US Open Tennis Championships , the tennis courts were converted into pickleball courts for the APP New York City Open .
“ Working with the USTA Board of Directors has certainly been one of the highlights of my career , [ and it ] was a big achievement to establish that partnership ,” says Herrmann . “ I ’ m thrilled we ’ ve been able to continue to grow the relationship , and we look forward to 2024 .”
The remaining two events on the APP Tour for 2023 are sure to be the icing on the cake — there is one more APP Next Gen event in Dallas , and the year concludes
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NOVEMBER 2023 | MAGAZINE 59