Matt Wright Pickleball Player

Like many other sports, pickleball has professional players that are incredible at what they do. Professional players often are sponsored by brands and regularly compete in tournaments for prize money. One of the current leaders in men’s pickleball is Matt Wright. 

Check out how he climbed the ranks and get to know him more than just his career. 

Matt Wright began as a stellar college tennis player at the University of Michigan. He was number one in both singles and doubles all four years with the Wolverines. After, he went on to law school to become an attorney. 

Matt then started playing a made-up game he and his friends called paddle tennis that used wooden paddles and a deflated tennis ball. They used to play at a local country club member’s home who had a court in his backyard. That same member told him about pickleball, and Wright soon became enthralled in the sport. 

In 2016, he went pro and is now a number 2 ranked pro pickleball player. Throughout his pro career, he has competed in several tournaments, earning him many high accolades. 

Accolades

As for the specifics on Matt Wright’s accolades, it seems that he racks up another every time he plays in a tournament. Matt is a two-time Tournament of Champions Gold Medalist, four-time USA National Champion, and a seven-time US Open Champion, among others. 

His success has come in both mixed doubles and men’s doubles. Though his mixed doubles partner is always the same person, his men’s doubles partner changes with each match and location,  showing the true skill of adapting to multiple pickleball partners. No wonder he is ranked number two! 

He is 44, with a birthday of May 25th, 1977. Interestingly, according to the participation report put out each year, the average age of pickleball players is 43.5 years old. So, he may seem like he is on the older side for professional sports, but when it comes to pickleball, he is at the peak age!

Though Lucy Kovala is Matt Wright’s wife, she is also his mixed doubles partner and is very accomplished herself. Hailing from Slovakia, at just 29 years old, she is ranked number one in Women’s doubles and number two in mixed doubles. 

She has accumulated over $106,000 in prize money from tournaments and is known for her wicked two-handed backhand shots. Lucy Kovala passes on her knowledge by working at a tennis club teaching tennis and pickleball to others when she is not competing herself. 

There is a lot to know about Wright, but fun facts are a good place to really get to know him. For one, he is still a full-time attorney! When he is not in the courtroom or on the pickleball court, he enjoys college and professional sports, concerts, and road trips. 

There are some interesting facts about his pickleball skills as well, including that he has won over $93,000 in tournament prize money, is right-handed with a one-handed backhand, and is on the Onix Pickleball Team. 

Whether you attend the upcoming match he has in August in Newport Beach, or you simply watch on television, Matt Wright is a pickleball player to watch. His matches are exciting, and his skill level is mesmerizing. Keep up with him to see just how far he goes in his pickleball career!