Nicole Conard

Nicole Conard was headed to law school. A lifelong tennis player — Division I at Dartmouth, then Michigan State while earning her master's — she picked up pickleball as an LSAT study break in 2024. It didn't stay a break.

Two weeks in, she entered the pro qualifiers at the 2024 World Championships on a whim. Exactly one year later she won the PPA Challenger Showdown and a Tour contract through 2028.

The résumé filled fast: a World Cup title with Team USA, six Challenger medals, a Carolina Hogs draft, and PPA wins over the likes of Jessie Irvine and Zoey Weil. On court she's all fight — fast hands, relentless defense, one more ball back.

She's open about the adversity behind the smile, and about a faith that anchors her — a story she shares hoping it makes someone else feel less alone.