One of the biggest names in all of tennis continues to support pickleball.
Naomi Osaka, a professional tennis player who has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association and co-owner of The Miami Pickleball Club (a Challenger-level Major League Pickleball team), has launched a new business venture called Pro Pickleball Management (PPM), according to the Sports Business Journal.
PPM has already signed top pickleball talent
Through her boutique talent agency, Evolve, PPM has already signed five top-tier professional pickleball players: Anna Bright, Federico Staksrud, Hurricane Tyra Black, James Ignatowich, and Rachel Rohrabacher.
Notably, Staksrud and Black played for The Miami Pickleball Club last year, and each of the five athletes ranks within the top 14 of their respective gender’s PPA Tour doubles rankings.
According to Jamie Duguid, who is heading up this new venture, this aligns with PPM’s goal “to work with players at the top of pickleball.”
Duguid is a former executive with MLS, 160over90, and IMG. He has been involved with Evolve since early 2023 and has been managing the Miami Pickleball Club for the past two seasons.
“We [Evolve] see an opportunity to change what we’re doing and add to our existing…
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