Naples pickleball tournament starts this weekend

It’s the biggest pickleball party in the world, and it’s happening right here in Naples.

“It’s like the Mardi Gras for pickleball,” said Chris Evon, co-founder of the Minto U.S. Open Pickleball Championships.

The eighth annual Minto U.S. Open Pickleball Championships is back in action at East Naples Community Park.

This year, it’s bigger than ever.

“We had 5,000 players try to get into our lottery,” said Evon. “We only could take around 3,200.”

Evon and Terri Graham co-founded the tournament.

They did a lot of research before starting the championships back in 2016.

“You walk around telling people, ‘This is what we’re doing,'” Evon said. “They looked at us like we had three heads.”

Their gamble paid off.

People from all over the world come to Naples for one week of friendly competition and social fun.

“To be here in that week.., I think it’s perfect,” said Tim Peterson, who’s visiting Naples from Minneapolis.

Peterson is an avid pickleball player in Minneapolis and came to East Naples Community Park on his vacation to take on the courts.

While playing, he met a woman named Tina.

Within a half hour, the two were best friends and nicknamed “TNT.”

“I love the social aspect,” Peterson said. “You meet so many great people. They’re all friendly.”

Amy Dent and her husband Eric are playing in the 3.0 division of the tournament.

“It is more of a community game, and that’s really why we love it so much,” said Amy.

They might not be pros, but they still plan to have a good time.

“I’m just looking forward to doing my best and seeing what happens,” she said.

Between 40-50,000 people are expected to come to the tournament over the next week.

The tournament has a double elimination bracket to give people the chance to play for longer.

The week is sure to be a hit, with about 400 medals and $150,000 in prize money for experienced players.

The championship starts on Saturday, April 13, and goes until Saturday, April 20.