As a new pickleball fan you’re probably wondering who was Will Wilson pickleball and why is he so popular in the pickleball industry?

Pickleball is a combination of table tennis, tennis, and badminton. It is a paddle sport that is played with a tennis-style net on a badminton court with a lightweight ball. This ball looks like a Wiffle ball but is used for different purposes.

Will Wilson is a pickleball player who gained popularity in the past 10 years. He was first a tennis player who tried his hand at pickleball and ended up being extremely successful. The reason he began his journey in pickleball was because of his father.

Initially, Will started playing pickleball with his friends. After a few losses, he began to get the hang of the game and was able to learn its rules quickly. His prior experience in tennis played a huge role in helping him adapt to the game. Soon, he went on to become one of the most famous pickleball players in his area, playing different tournaments all over the country and making a name for himself.

Here is everything you need to know about Will Wilson- a former tennis player. We have covered his YouTube interviews as well as his personal life to help you gain insight into how he started his pickleball career and the tournaments he has been a part of.

Who Was Will Wilson Pickleball?

Will Wilson started his career in pickleball in 2012. In his early days, he played lots of tennis. His dad tried to bond with him, but since he had never been a tennis player, he would always lose to Will.  That is when his father introduced him to pickleball, a game that he felt confident in. His father’s plan was to beat Will and bond with him. He was of the opinion that there was no better way to have a father-son bonding time than by playing sports together.

Unfortunately, his father was not able to beat him. However, he became the reason behind Will’s pickleball career. Despite losing, his father saw that he was a natural and hence, encouraged him to try his hand at this sport.

Will’s Entry into Pickleball

Back then, Will was in great shape and started playing a number of singles tournaments. He would mostly play with his friends from Michigan as he got to know the sport and became accustomed to its rules. Days and days after practice, his friends began to notice that he had a natural flair for the game, and that is when they encouraged him to start playing professionally.

The first tournament that Will played was in Western Michigan against Dan O’Toole- a pickleball player from Michigan who was a bit older than Will. Initially, Will was losing badly- the game was at seven to zero and Will kept thinking that his friends had lied to him- he was not as good at pickleball as he had been told. In fact, he started to get demotivated. That is when he told himself that he needed to have faith and that if he could excel at tennis, what was stopping him from excelling at pickleball?

Surprisingly, Will was able to get his head back in the game and he ended up winning the tournament against Dan- someone who had been playing the game much longer than Will. That was his start to a very successful Pickleball career. He played multiple games and tournaments, emerging successfully in each one. Soon, he went into regionals and then the Nationals.

Will Wilson did well in the Nationals, and then he started to play tournaments with singles. He stopped in the middle because he wanted to finish school and focus on tennis.

For four years, Will played tennis at Otterbein University in Westerville Ohio, with his partner, David Seco. David and Will made a great team- it didn’t matter whether they were winning or losing- they were always in sync with each other. Everyone around them could tell that they had an unspoken communication- a quality that came with them being best friends at college, as well as roommates.

According to Will, playing on the court with someone you have known for approximately eight years helps build an understanding that is hard to come by, even in the best of players. He has been grateful to his friends for introducing him to two great sports, tennis and pickleball.

Will’s Most Popular Pickleball Game

Pickleball Promotions USA held a one-day competition that included 120 pickleball players who were divided into teams and were given 12 courts to hold their games in.

The best part about this tournament was that it encouraged pickleball players of all ages to play the sport, even if that meant getting three generations of people involved.

This competition, known as the Arnold competition, featured several great pickleball players, such as Holley Rea, Mila Syra-Santos, and Will Wilson.  These three were the best pickleball players in the area and were given a special mention at the end of the game.

The Arnold competition was a big deal for Will as this was Pickleball Promotions USA’s first big tournament that had ever been held. Even though Will did not end up winning this competition, it has been remembered as one of the biggest games that he was a part of.