Becoming a signed pro pickleball player is anything but easy. The path grows more competitive each year, with more talent entering the sport and raising the bar.

Gio Morelli, joined the PPA Tour last year, offered a glimpse into her path to the pros.

Coming from a tennis background, she was initially skeptical of pickleball.

“About a year and a half ago, I was working at a country club in West Palm, Florida and one of our members said I should start playing pickleball. I play tennis, and I honestly laughed at the idea at first. Then, I started playing like once a week and I loved it. I picked it up pretty quickly,” recapped Morelli. 

“I was 100% one of those tennis players that hated pickleball. My parents played pickleball, so I thought it was a sport for old people, but I really like the fast pace of the game. I’m not super tall, so in tennis I always had a hard time covering the court. I like the smaller pickleball court and the fast game.”

From that point on, Morelli was hooked.

“I just feel the happiest I’ve ever felt in my entire life playing pickleball,” she said. “I like how quickly players can improve, so it helps motivate me to practice because I always can get a little bit better.”

Once Morelli felt ready to compete, she jumped straight into qualifiers.

“I played in the qualifiers for about six months, and then I got signed in September 2025,” she mentioend. “I’m still so young, and you only live once, so I was going to go for it and try to go pro.” 

The qualifying rounds, however, proved to be a battle.

“It was exhausting, but I wanted to invest in myself. I was funding it completely on my own, so it gave me a little bit more incentive and motivation to work really hard to be there,” emphasized Morelli. “I also didn’t have the pressure to make anyone else proud. This was all for myself.”

To help fund her career, Morelli now coaches pickleball at her country club.

“I’m on the court teaching pickleball for seven hours a day, which is how I afford traveling to tournaments,” she explained. “I try to drill at least once a day, but It’s a grind.”

With a pro contract secured, what guidance does Morelli have for aspiring pros?

“Work hard. Nothing is automatically given to you. And everyone is on different timelines. There were times when I was beating myself up because I saw other people getting signed or getting drafted to MLP, and I was still grinding in the qualifying rounds,” she concluded. “It’s all about trusting that everyone is on a different timeline and your time will come.” 

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