Pinellas County pair take pickleball by storm

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - Once college sweethearts, now, Ryler DeHeart and Megan Fudge are a force to be reckoned with in the world of professional pickleball. 

"It's honestly been a wild ride," said Fudge.

DeHeart, a Jesuit High School grad, and Fudge met as members of the University of Illinois Tennis teams and thought tennis would be their go-to sport forever. 

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Then, two years ago, they put down their rackets and picked up a pair of pickleball paddles. 

"People kept telling us to go check out pickleball, and we're like 'Hold on. We're not retired. We're not old," said Fudge. 

With experience already playing a racket sport, DeHeart and Fudge quickly took to pickleball and joined the Association of Pickleball Professionals Tour part-time in 2022 before joining the tour full-time this season. 

"If you would have told me two years ago this is what I would be doing I would be laughing at you," said Fudge. 

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Ever since the couple from Belleair picked up their paddles, they've experienced a meteoric rise in the sport, winning and medaling at multiple events around the country. 

"If you told me I was going to be top-10 in the world in a short amount of time as this, I would have thought there was no chance," Fudge admits. 

After discovering their love for pickleball, DeHeart and Fudge rediscovering their love for playing together, as teammates this time. 

"It's challenging playing with your spouse, but we enjoy it. It's a good challenge for us," says DeHeart. 

The two now regularly compete as a team in mixed doubles events around the APP Tour, winning as husband and wife.

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"It's like marriage. Marriage isn't easy, but it's fun," says DeHeart. "We do it together. I think the fact that we can play together, compete together, and we're still married is a win."

The husband-and-wife duo may have met because of tennis but have found their way into new success with a new career. 

"It's just this huge journey that we just get to enjoy together. It's phenomenal," said Fudge. 

Together, they're reaching new heights, just on a new type of court.