Woman taught pickleball by the sport’s inventor nets record as oldest player

Not many people can claim to have been shown the ropes of a sport by one of its original founders – but Joyce Jones (USA) can.
In 1965, she and her husband, Don – who were already avid tennis and badminton players – were introduced to this then brand-new racquet sport by friend (and US congressman) Joel Pritchard at his summer home on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
“I thought it was a fun game,” Jones told GWR when asked to recall her first impressions. “But Don and I were already playing badminton and tennis, and we had no time to work in another sport. It took us about five minutes to learn it because we were very adept at our other two sports.
“The most difficult habits to overcome were not to serve and volley like we did in tennis, because you have to let the ball bounce back on your court when you serve, and not to rush to the net and invade the ‘kitchen’ area to put the ball away.”
If being trained by one of pickleball’s creators (Joel Pritchard developed the game along with friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum) didn’t make Jones part of an exclusive enough club, even fewer can say that they’re still actively engaged – and even competing – as a nonagenarian. Jones (b. 4 April 1930) is so unique that in the latest edition of Guinness World Records, she has been verified as the oldest competitive pickleball player.
As the planet sees in World Pickleball Day (10 October) in celebration of one of the fastest-growing sports, Jones is extending her own record right now as she takes part at the 2025 Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah. As the event got underway on 6 October, she was aged 95 years 185 days.
For those that have yet to experience pickleball, it combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. Played on a badminton-sized court (either indoors or outdoors) but with a tennis-height net, the key kit comprises paddles (essentially slightly bigger versions of ping-pong bats) and a hollow, perforated plastic ball. Each side of the court is divided into three sections: the right and left service areas and a strip parallel to the net known as the “kitchen” where it’s against the rules to volley.
Although the game was conceived in someone’s backyard in 1965 and gained some traction in North America over the next few decades (the first known tournament took place in 1976), it is really since the 2010s that the sport has seen a global surge in popularity. Ever-more dedicated facilities, as well as professional and semi-professional tournaments and leagues, are springing up world over – and it is gaining a steady following among all age groups.
Having been one of the first people on the planet to play it, Jones saw the potential for pickleball to take off from the get-go, but even she’s been taken aback by its success: “It’s easy to pick up and it’s so social,” she said. “But I never thought that it would explode like it has!”
Jones has always been sporty, so it perhaps has come as no surprise to anyone who knows her that she is not only still entering competitions but also bringing home medals in her 90s.
And she doesn’t limit herself to a single sport: as well as triumphing in the pickleball singles, doubles and mixed doubles (a feat known as a “triple crown”) in her age group at the 2024 Huntsman World Senior Games, she also decided at the last minute to enter two track events, resulting in gold in the 100 m and silver in the 50 m races.
The 2025 instalment will be the 19th time that Jones has competed at the Huntsman World Senior Games, which she describes as easily one of her favourite tournaments. She was inducted into the event’s Hall of Fame in 2021.
Joyce is a remarkable example of active ageing and perseverance. Her dedication and commitment to living a healthy, engaged life is something we can all aspire to. She's not only well-known and beloved at the Huntsman World Senior Games, but far beyond. I'm also proud to call her my friend – Kyle M Case, Chief Executive Officer of the Huntsman World Senior Games
The Huntsman Games isn't the only contest where Jones has seen success in recent times. In July 2025, at the age of 95, she took first place in the 85-89 age division for pickleball singles, and also in doubles and mixed in the 90+ group, at the biannual National Senior Games (NSG), this time held in Des Moines, Iowa.
In fact, Jones was instrumental in getting the NSG to adopt pickleball among their disciplines. As Washington State coordinator for the NSG, she tried for three years to get them to include pickleball in vain, as it was deemed to be just a fad. Finally, in 2011, they agreed to let her and two friends, David and Nancy Jordan, introduce it as a demonstration sport. It turned out to be so popular that it was officially included in the NSG’s roster of events in 2013, and it's been a firm fixture ever since.
It has certainly been a lifelong love affair with racquet sports in particular for Jones. Her “first love” was badminton, which she began playing at high school and this would go on to be a shared interest with husband-to-be Don, who at the time they met (while rollerskating in the 1940s) was a signalman in the US Navy.
Across her long badminton career, Jones would win a staggering 301 National, International and World titles, including 75 as part of the annual Canadian Badminton Championships – an unprecedented number in that series. She was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1999.
Over the course of their marriage, Joyce and Don would also regularly play and compete in tennis, table tennis, racquetball, bowling and, of course, pickleball.
After being introduced to the latter in 1965, the couple only really began to play it seriously in 1980, at which point it became one of their favourite leisure pursuits – that is, when they weren’t busy with other sports, spending time with family or going on vacation (they were particularly fans of cruise ships).
At one of the first pickleball tournaments, Don played singles against Joel [Pritchard] in the semi-finals. About 40 of Joel’s neighbours showed up to cheer him on by stomping their feet on the metal bleachers, waving flags and cheering when he scored a point. When Don made a good shot, all he got was, ‘Nice shot, honey!’ But he got his revenge when he beat Joel in three games. It isn’t everybody who can say that they beat the inventor of pickleball in a tournament! – Joyce Jones, oldest competitive pickleball player
The Jones’s passion for sport certainly passed on to their kids and grandchildren – with the family making up most of a softball team for some time.
Pickleball in particular has a special place across the generations. It has even become a regular fixture in the family calendar, with relatives travelling hundreds of miles from multiple states every couple of months for get-togethers to both catch up and play pickleball.
Jones had to give up playing her beloved badminton in 2021 (owing to a stiff neck), followed by tennis in 2023 (“the heavy racquet hurt the arthritis in my hand”). But for the time being pickleball is still very much on the agenda.
“I’m going to compete as long as possible,” she said determinedly, “because I still love the competition, and seeing all the hundreds of friends that I’ve made over the years, and meeting so many new friends at every competition.”
I can’t take six steps at a tournament without someone stopping me and asking if they can take a picture. Or telling me that I’m such an inspiration for them. I love knowing that I’m inspiring so many people to keep active – Joyce Jones
Not surprisingly given her longevity and success in the sport, Jones has accrued something of a celebrity status in the pickleball community.
In 2024, she was invited to take part in the grand opening of a new Pickleball Kingdom facility in Dallas, Texas, where she got to pass on some of her experience to new and veteran players alike, as well as playing doubles alongside a junior champion.
Befitting of her status, Jones has long been an ambassador for the sport, encouraging anyone that has yet to try out pickleball to give it a go: “It’s so much easier to begin than badminton or tennis, because it usually takes quite a long time to be able to have good rallies in those sports. Most anyone can have fun playing pickleball right off the bat.”
She recognizes that pickleball won’t be for everyone, but directed particularly at those in their senior years, Jones recommends: “If pickleball isn’t your thing, just do something actively. You must keep your body moving!”
Jones is just one of the record holders that appears in a feature dedicated to pickleball records in the latest edition of the GWR book, which is on sale now. For more sports and fitness record news, check out our dedicated page.