DALLAS, TX - In the world of professional pickleball, the journey to the top is far from easy. For up-and-coming players like Robert Slutsky (who made it to the quarterfinals with Noe Khlif earlier this year in Red Rock), the grind to break into the main draw has become a brutal test of endurance. Pickleball qualifiers have begun to mirror the fortitude needed to battle though qualifiers in more established sports, such as tennis.

Per the PPA Tour’s Professional Rulebook, only the nearly 130 players contracted with the Tour are guaranteed spots in the main draw, provided that they play with another contracted pro. The remaining pro registrants must fight through the qualies for a slot in the main draw.

At the recent Selkirk Kansas City Open, Slutsky's qualifier day started early on Wednesday at 8am CT with men’s singles, where he secured three consecutive victories, earning his spot in the main draw for singles.

That afternoon, Slutsky played the mixed doubles qualifier, where he won his first match comfortably but barely pulled out the next two with narrow margins of 12-10 and 11-9, securing his spot in the main draw for mixed doubles.

After playing these six matches, Slutsky headed out at 3pm CT to play the men’s doubles qualifier with Caden Nemoff – but was already beginning to feel the onset of cramps. He won his first match and ended up in a three-game nailbiter against Kyle Koszuta and Tanner Tomassi, which Slutsky/Nemoff ultimately lost 11-9 in the third. Following this, Slutsky, struggling to stand from cramping, received an IV on-site.

In total, Slutsky spent 12 hours at the venue that day, playing eight matches with an impressive 7-1 match record and a 15-2 game record. Remarkably, he started the day with a flawless 15-0 game streak before his final two games played.

On Thursday the following day, Slutsky had a few words about his performance in the men’s singles main draw, saying he was "a shell of my former self, [did] a super small warm-up, [went] out to play, [moved] like hot trash and got destroyed.” In the match Slutsky was referring to, he faced the 15th seed, Rafa Hewett, and lost 11-5, 11-3.

In the mixed doubles main draw on Friday, Slutsky had recovered somewhat, but fell short with partner Sarah Williams in their first round match against the 10th-seeded duo of Jack Sock and Lea Jansen, 11-9, 11-5.

Just a glimpse into Slutsky’s last week on Tour highlights the relentless grind that professional players face on Tour, especially as up-and-comers hoping to make a name for themselves. Players pay to play events, cover travel and accommodation costs, and push their bodies to the limit in a sport where the competition is only strengthening day after day.

For those who find themselves on-site at a PPA Tour event, the qualifiers are worth a watch. Who knows, you might just witness the next Ben Johns or Anna Leigh Waters being born.

To see more of Robert Slutsky’s journey on tour, follow him on Instagram.