Soft Tennis World Champion Yuta Funemizu Becomes the First Japanese Player to Sign Exclusive Contract to Play on Carvana PPA Tour and in Major League Pickleball

Yuta Funemizu has made history as the first Japanese player to sign an exclusive contract with the United Pickleball Association (UPA) to compete on the Carvana PPA Tour (PPA Tour) and be eligible to be drafted on a team in Major League Pickleball.

The PPA Tour is the premier professional pickleball tour, holding exclusive contracts with the world’s top players, including #1 female player Anna Leigh Waters and #1 male players Ben Johns and Federico Staksrud. Major League Pickleball is the thrilling co-ed team league with celebrity owners including Naomi Osaka, LeBron James, Heidi Klum, Kevin Durant and many more.

As the sport’s first-ever professional player, Yuta Funemizu dominated the soft tennis world, earning the title of World Champion at the Soft Tennis World Championships and securing ten consecutive championships in the Japan Soft Tennis League. Now, he is making a major leap to the world of pickleball and to compete exclusively on the world’s premier professional pickleball tour. This marks the first-ever exclusive contract between a Japanese player and the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, opening up new pathways for top Japanese athletes to compete on the global stage.

“This is just a first step on my new journey” – Yuta Funemizu

“I am truly honored to be the first Japanese player to sign an exclusive contract to play on the PPA Tour,” said Yuta Funemizu. “However, this is just a first step on my new journey. My next goals will be to become the first Japanese player in Major League Pickleball (MLP) and becoming the first Japanese to win a tournament on the PPA tour. I also hope my presence on the PPA tour will help grow the popularity of pickleball in Japan, where the sport is still relatively unknown.”

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, rapidly expanding worldwide. Last year, the 130 professional players on the PPA Tour and MLP earned over $30 million in prize money, attracting over 300,000 fans in person and millions more via broadcasts. This contract presents a tremendous opportunity for Yuta Funemizu to rise as an international pickleball star.

“Yuta is an incredible athlete who is already seeing success in his transition to professional pickleball – and we’re excited to welcome him to the PPA Tour,” said Deputy Commissioner of the Carvana PPA Tour, Chris Patrick. “The PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball are riding an incredible period of growth, both domestically and internationally. The interest we are seeing from athletes all over the world to compete on the premier pickleball tour is rising just as quickly, if not more so. Yuta will likely prove to be a trailblazer for others from the region to make the leap and achieve success in professional pickleball.”

A Rising Force in Professional Pickleball

In January 2024, Yuta Funemizu halted his illustrious career in Soft Tennis and moved permanently to the United States to start playing pickleball for the first time. 

International Success

• Silver Medal in Men’s Singles as a member of the Japanese National Team at the Asia Pickleball Games 2024 in Taiwan (October 2024, organized by the Asia Federation of Pickleball)
• Gold Medal in Men’s Doubles (Skill Division) and Mixed Doubles (Open Division) at the PJF Pickleball Championships 2024 in Japan (December 2024, organized by the Pickleball Japan Federation)

His new journey into pickleball has been widely covered closely byJapanese media since he converted to playing full-time.

Growth of Pickleball in Asia

In December 2024, Yuta also became the first-ever Japanese brand ambassador for JOOLA. Additionally, his activities are supported by Visional, a leading HR Tech company, which is a publicly traded company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. 

With the international expansion and growth of pickleball in Asian markets such as Australia, Vietnam and India, Yuta’s success is expected to create a major impact on the Japanese market