Pro pickleball player Vivienne David (28) retires from competition and transitions to coaching. She announced it on January 6, 2026. She competed for over five years on the PPA Tour, APP Tour, and Major League Pickleball (MLP), winning 42 medals in total. After retirement, she shifts her focus from competing to teaching.
"I'll stay involved with pickleball, but I'll put more weight on teaching. I'm really looking forward to it," David commented.
A record of 42 medals in five years, including 15 golds
David's career medals total 42. Of these, 15 are gold, broken down as 5 in women's doubles and 10 in mixed doubles—her strength in pair events stands out. She has produced results across the three main stages of the PPA, APP, and MLP.
| Item | Record |
|---|---|
| Career medals | 42 |
| Gold medals | 15 (5 women's doubles, 10 mixed doubles) |
| Pro career length | Over five years |
| MLP appearances | Every season since the 2021 inception (on 9 teams) |
Appearances in every season since MLP's inception
David is one of the few players who kept competing every season since MLP's inception in 2021. She has been on 9 teams to date, most recently playing for the Atlanta Bouncers. Her career, fighting on the front line from the league's earliest days, overlaps with the history of MLP itself.
The golden era with Thomas Wilson
In mixed doubles, she paired with Thomas Wilson for over a year, winning 10 medals on the PPA Tour in the 2023-2024 season. Early in 2024, she picked up 2 golds. The highlight was the 2024 Los Angeles Open final, a match where they defeated the strongest pair at the time, Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns, 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3.
The transition to "the teaching side"
On the occasion of her retirement, David said she feels "at peace" about stepping away from competition and showed her enthusiasm for coaching. She is set to pour the knowledge of pair competition cultivated on the top front line into coaching the next generation. As a post-competition career for pro players, transitioning to coaching also serves a role in supporting the sport's grassroots.
A pro scene growing deeper in player pool
Players who turned pro around 2021 have begun moving to the next stage after roughly five years of activity. Early-era stars like David turning to coaching is part of a flow in which the sport's coaching environment is coming together. Not only top players' records but also their subsequent paths become an indicator of the pro scene's maturity.
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Source:The Kitchen / Vivienne David retirement / Pickleball.com / Vivienne David announces retirement from pro competition
