Jake Kusmider

27 yr oldMaleCharleston, SC

5.85 👥 / 6.36 👤

5.20 👥 / 5.50 👤

View on

9 tournaments, 19 events.

Jake Kusmider is a professional pickleball player from Charleston, South Carolina, who made the leap from competitive tennis to the pro pickleball circuit. Raised in downtown Charleston and homeschooled alongside his siblings, Kusmider dedicated his childhood to tennis with hours of daily practice, eventually earning a spot on the College of Charleston men's tennis team for the 2016-2017 season. He discovered pickleball at age 18 when fellow players in the gym suggested he try the sport. What started as a joke between tennis buddies about "becoming professional pickleball players and traveling the world" turned into reality when he entered his first pro doubles tournament in Camden in 2019.

Kusmider quickly climbed the ranks, reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 16 in men's singles by summer 2022. His resume includes a semifinal run at the APP New York City Open (one of the sport's Grand Slam events), multiple top-five finishes, and a first top-10 singles win at the 2021 PPA Grand Slam in Tampa. He trained alongside top pros like Tyson McGuffin in Idaho to sharpen his game. When he's not competing on tour, Kusmider serves as head pro at The Pickle Bar, a dedicated pickleball facility in Summerville, South Carolina, where he coaches players of all skill levels. Now based in West Ashley, he continues to push toward the top 10 while helping grow the sport in the Lowcountry.

💡

Fun Fact

He once lost to a player who had just gotten a hip replacement, which he says keeps him grounded

💬

"I was in the weight room one morning. I looked into the gym and saw people setting up pickleball nets. They said, 'You guys are tennis players, right? You should play this. You'll be unbelievable at it.' I was 18. We left joking that when we were done with tennis, we'd become professional pickleball players and travel the world. It's surreal to think that I actually made that come true."

— Charleston Magazine