Introducing Joyce Jones: From Backyard Birthplace to Record-Setting Nonagenarian in Pickleball
We keep saying pickleball is for everyone of any age. We mean that when we say so, and now we have a Guinness Book of World Records certification to prove it!
This October, the world’s official keeper of records officially proclaimed American Joyce Jones as oldest competitive pickleball player on Earth at 95 years, 185 days old (as of 10 October 2025). Born 4 April 1930, Jones competed at the 2025 Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah as she again proved the saying that “Age is just a number.”
Joyce Jones Learned from the Co-Inventor of the Sport
Jones’s story, though, doesn’t end there. It gets more compelling as she also learned the sport from Joel Pritchard, who just happens to be one of pickleball’s co-creators. This happened way back in 1965 when Jones and her husband, Don, were heavily into tennis and badminton.
But, hey, why not learn another racket sport, right? Perhaps as a favour to their friend, Pritchard, Jones and her husband agreed to try out pickleball, and it came naturally for the two the Joneses.
“I thought it was a fun game. 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,” Jones told the Guinness Book of World Records in a recent interview when asked to recall her first impressions. “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.”
Incidentally, Don and Joyce have been playing pickleball for so long that they actually competed in one of the first pickleball tournaments in history. In fact, according to Joyce, her husband beat Pritchard in the semifinals—in front of about 40 of the latter’s neighbours, who showed up rooting for the then US lawmaker.
“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,” Joyce recalled. “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!”
A Lifelong Love Affair with Pickleball
Joyce probably didn’t know it yet at that time, but Pritchard had actually sparked what would turn out to be a long, still-going-strong love affair between the Joneses—Joyce, in particular—and pickleball. It’s so strong, in fact, that it has outlived tennis and badminton so to speak as Joyce gave up the latter in 2021 and the former in 2023. Pickleball, though, isn’t going by the wayside just yet as the nonagenarian plans on playing the sport as long as she can.
“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,” she said.
All this shouldn’t be a surprise, really. Joyce appears to have that “athletic” gene as she boasts a sporting résumé that’s nothing short of extraordinary. A lifelong lover of racquet sports, she has amassed over 300 titles in badminton, tennis, and more. In recent years, even while giving up badminton and tennis due to physical constraints, she kept pickleball as her competitive anchor. At the 2024 Huntsman World Senior Games, she swept singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in her age group—achieving a “Triple Crown”—and also competed in track, winning gold in the 100 m and silver in the 50 m.
In a sport built on community and evolution, Joyce Jones stands apart as both a pioneer and a living icon. Her longevity in the sport is more than a headline—it is a statement about what’s possible when passion meets perseverance. And wuth pickleball’s popularity is exploding globally, Joyce Jones is bridging the sport’s humble origins with its bold present—and is all the while reminding us that age is not a barrier, but part of the story. Her legacy continues to challenge assumptions, elevate senior athleticism, and light the way for future generations.
