From scoring goals on the pitch to scoring points on the court, has been unique.

The German player was recruited by the University of Tulsa for soccer, where he played Division 1 from 2021-2023. Protzek said he first started playing pickleball for fun with his soccer teammates, but quickly learned he had the ability to go far in the sport.

Q: Why did you make the transition from soccer to pickleball?

I was actually in New Mexico to try out for professional soccer, but I met this group that played pickleball at 7 a.m. I was always playing, and I won most of my games, and they were all like you are decent at it, you should maybe try to play some tournaments.

Q: When did you play your first professional pickleball tournament?

I played my first professional tournament for the Professional

See Full Page