Magnolia West High School assistant tennis coach Tatiana Ruhl may only be a coach or involved in tennis for a while longer if her pickleball career continues to take off like it has been doing recently.
Pickleballing Hotshot
The Texas-based pickleballing hotshot attended Magnolia West as a student and returned to her alma mater as a tennis coach. Indeed, it was there that she honed her craft and went on to lead Prairie View A&M to the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship.
Tatiana was a tennis prodigy. She received the title of Tennis District Champion, was a USTA Superchamp, and played Division I college tennis while also receiving an academic and athletic scholarship.
However, pickleball has dominated her sporting achievements in the last few years.
Three years ago, Tatiana’s life changed when a coworker invited her to play tennis but brought pickleball paddles with her.
“It Looked Like Ping Pong On A Tiny Tennis Court”
She asked Tatiana if she had ever tried pickleball. “And I had no idea what she had,” Tatiana remembers. It looked like ping-pong on a tiny tennis court. And it ended up being so much fun.”
“Pickleball was a funny word to me when I first heard it. I didn’t know it was a sport or there was a pro circuit attached to it. I met some amazing pickleball people in a group. I went out there every single day after that and just haven’t stopped!”
“You Could Go Pro”
As her game developed, she started to wonder what would happen if she took it more seriously: “In the summer of 2021, I thought I wanted to learn pickleball properly. I got online and found this guy you may have heard of, Ben Johns. He was doing a pickleball camp in Colorado. Who doesn’t want to learn from the game’s number one player?”
Ruhl learned quickly, with Johns quickly spotting her potential. She recalls him saying, “Hey, I’m not blowing any smoke, but you could go pro if you wanted. And I was just shocked. I was like, are you serious?”
He was. And so was she. She started entering tournaments and found she could compete with the best.
“I’ve had quite a few podium finishes,” she tells 6 ABC. I’ve placed first in a (PPA) pro-bonus draw with my mixed partner, Pesa Teoni. Then Kate Nemoth and I finished first in another draw in Dallas.”
“Gear makes a huge difference in pickleball. I got a Gearbox paddle and fell in love. I hold demo days for Gearbox.”
A Totally Different Animal
She is very aware that she is a totally different animal on and off the court: “I think the competitor side of me is different on the court than off of it. I like to be very intense and very focused.”
Tatiana’s old pickleball pals remember her only too well.
One of them, Kris Frenchak, said, “We knew she played tennis because she played in high school with my son. And we know about her college experience. So we knew she had a bit of an edge.”
Another, Cyndi Dull, chipped in, “So we handed her a paddle, and then on day two, she was beating us.”
Tom Dull added, “There was no doubt she was bound for pickleball greatness and was going to leave us all behind. But as she promised, she has remembered us.”
Tatiana now spends most weekends playing tournaments all around the country. She’s also keen to raise awareness of the sport at children’s and adult clinics.
“I love to spread the love of pickleball to little ones and older ones—whatever your age.”
Tatiana signs off with a message for anyone interested in copying her journey: “Anyone thinking about trying pickleball, or you’re on the fence, or if you’re one of those tennis players thinking it’s not for me, you’re missing out. I promise you won’t have any regrets.”
