Why Is the APP Tour Growing Worldwide? Its International Stars Have the Answer
A Frenchman returning home to the podium, a Vietnamese crowd favorite, an unstoppable Dutchwoman, a Croatian who finally claimed her gold, a 19-year-old Australian and a Hungarian just getting started. Six stories that explain why APP pickleball no longer has borders.
The answer isn’t found in an office or a contract. It’s found on the court.
In 2026, the APP Tour filled up with accents. Flags from France, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Croatia, Australia and Hungary rose on podiums in Malaysia, in England and on the courts of Chicago, Columbus and Detroit. It’s no coincidence. It’s a bet, and it’s paying off.
“The world’s best players have choices, and their decision to build their careers with the APP reflects the strength of what we are creating,” says APP Founder Ken Herrmann. The multiyear player agreements the tour recently signed back that up. But to truly understand why the APP is growing around the world, you have to look at the people driving that growth: its international stars. Each one holds part of the answer.
Because Legends Come Back: Jay Devilliers
A tour grows when its biggest names want to return. In September, Jay Devilliers came back to the APP Tour, and he didn’t come to say goodbye. The Frenchman is one of just five men to earn a Triple Crown on the tour. In Columbus, he made it all the way to Championship Sunday and, alongside Tanner Tomassi, claimed silver in men’s pro doubles.
His résumé speaks for itself: he ranks among the top 10 in APP history in career gold medals, career total medals and most gold medals in a single season. His return reminds the new generation that the established champions are still here, and that taking their place means earning it point by point.
Because Fans Fall in Love: Quang Duong
A sport grows when fans fall in love with its players, and few win hearts like Quang Duong. The Vietnamese star debuted on the APP Tour in 2023 and captured crowds on every continent with his aggressive style and an energy that reaches the very last row of the stands. The results followed the applause.
In July, in Penang, Malaysia, he had a dream week: singles gold over Phoenix He, the men’s doubles title alongside India’s Harsh Mehta and mixed doubles silver with Amanda Hendry. In August, in Chicago, he and Patrick Kawka pushed top seeds Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. to the limit, falling only in the third game of the final and leaving with silver. In Columbus, he was back on the podium with men’s doubles bronze alongside Aidan Schenk. Wherever he plays, Duong is always in the mix, and fans always come to watch.
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Because Some Stars Win Everywhere: Roos Van Reek
A global tour needs a star who wins everywhere, and that star is Roos Van Reek. The Dutchwoman was a tennis standout at the University of Nevada-Reno, and her rise in pickleball has been meteoric: today she is the No. 1 player from the Netherlands and one of the faces of the APP.
Her 2026 has been written across four countries. In June, at Pickleball DJOY in Vietnam, she won all three golds for a Triple Crown. In July, at the Leapmotor APP Asia Penang Open, she did it again: another Triple Crown. In August, in Chicago, she and Vivian Glozman won a heart-stopping women’s doubles final, 11-9 in the deciding game against Amanda Hendry and Emilia Schmidt.
And at the Proflex English Open Powered by the APP, the largest indoor pickleball event in history, she took gold in women’s doubles with Shelby Bates, gold in mixed doubles with Jack Munro and silver in women’s singles. Her APP career is only getting started, and it’s already hard to picture a podium without her.
Because Perseverance Pays Off: Domenika Turkovic
This story hits close to home for DINK Authority readers. Domenika Turkovic, our October cover star, spent the season knocking on the door. She won women’s singles at the English Open and took singles silver in Overland Park. Something was still missing: her first APP Tour gold.
It came in Columbus, at the APP Columbus Open Presented by The James. The Croatian defeated Jessica Evanier 11-8, 11-7, and the door finally swung open. At the same event, she reached the women’s doubles final alongside Glauka Carvajal-Lane and took silver.
The numbers tell her story better than any adjective: she earned two APP Tour medals in 2025, and she has seven so far in 2026. Domenika shows no signs of slowing down, and in these pages, we saw it coming.
Because the Future Is Already Here: Nicola Schoeman
A tour with a future needs young players who fear no one. Nicola Schoeman is 19, Australian and DUPR’s World No. 1-ranked junior women’s pro.
In Chicago, she earned women’s doubles bronze with Selina Turulja. In Detroit came her big breakthrough: alongside Richard Livornese Jr., she beat top seeds Megan Fudge and Aidan Schenk 12-10, 11-3 in the mixed doubles final to win her first career APP Tour gold. At the same event, she added women’s doubles bronze, this time with Amanda Hendry. She changes partners and keeps on winning. That can’t be taught: you either have it or you don’t.
Because the Pipeline Keeps Flowing: Bálint Bakó
Every great story has a first chapter, and Bálint Bakó’s was written in Detroit. The Hungarian, his country’s No. 1 pickleball pro, earned men’s singles bronze. It was his first APP Tour medal, in just his second APP event in the United States, and it added yet another flag to the medal table.
Bakó is a product of the APP’s Touring Pro Program, which brings together U.S.-based and international players ages 19 to 24 and gives them on-court mentorship and development to speed up their path to the elite. If this is the pipeline, the tour’s future already has a passport.
The Full Answer
So why is the APP Tour growing around the world? Because its legends come back, because fans fall in love, because some stars win in every country, because perseverance pays off, because young players arrive fearless and because the pipeline never stops.
And because these stories don’t stop at a border. Their protagonists compete in the United States, on the APP Asia Tour and at Global Pickleball Alliance (GPA) affiliated tournaments. The fan who followed Van Reek in Vietnam finds her again in Chicago and in England, and the one who watched Duong in Penang recognizes him in Columbus. The season becomes one single story, told in many languages.
“These athletes are winning titles, raising the level of competition and giving fans around the world a personal connection to our Tour,” Herrmann says. “Investing in international talent strengthens the experience for our players, fans and partners, and gives us tremendous confidence in the APP’s global future.”
For brands, that means reaching athletes and communities in several countries at once. For pickleball, it means something bigger: this sport no longer speaks just one language. At DINK Authority, where we tell its story in English, Spanish and Portuguese, we know that better than anyone. And we celebrate it.
A Frenchman returning home to the podium, a Vietnamese crowd favorite, an unstoppable Dutchwoman, a Croatian who finally claimed her gold, a 19-year-old Australian and a Hungarian just getting started. Six stories that explain why APP pickleball no longer has borders.
The answer isn’t found in an office or a contract. It’s found on the court.
In 2026, the APP Tour filled up with accents. Flags from France, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Croatia, Australia and Hungary rose on podiums in Malaysia, in England and on the courts of Chicago, Columbus and Detroit. It’s no coincidence. It’s a bet, and it’s paying off.
“The world’s best players have choices, and their decision to build their careers with the APP reflects the strength of what we are creating,” says APP Founder Ken Herrmann. The multiyear player agreements the tour recently signed back that up. But to truly understand why the APP is growing around the world, you have to look at the people driving that growth: its international stars. Each one holds part of the answer.
Because Legends Come Back: Jay Devilliers
A tour grows when its biggest names want to return. In September, Jay Devilliers came back to the APP Tour, and he didn’t come to say goodbye. The Frenchman is one of just five men to earn a Triple Crown on the tour. In Columbus, he made it all the way to Championship Sunday and, alongside Tanner Tomassi, claimed silver in men’s pro doubles.
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His résumé speaks for itself: he ranks among the top 10 in APP history in career gold medals, career total medals and most gold medals in a single season. His return reminds the new generation that the established champions are still here, and that taking their place means earning it point by point.
Because Fans Fall in Love: Quang Duong
A sport grows when fans fall in love with its players, and few win hearts like Quang Duong. The Vietnamese star debuted on the APP Tour in 2023 and captured crowds on every continent with his aggressive style and an energy that reaches the very last row of the stands. The results followed the applause.
In July, in Penang, Malaysia, he had a dream week: singles gold over Phoenix He, the men’s doubles title alongside India’s Harsh Mehta and mixed doubles silver with Amanda Hendry. In August, in Chicago, he and Patrick Kawka pushed top seeds Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. to the limit, falling only in the third game of the final and leaving with silver. In Columbus, he was back on the podium with men’s doubles bronze alongside Aidan Schenk. Wherever he plays, Duong is always in the mix, and fans always come to watch.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Because Some Stars Win Everywhere: Roos Van Reek
A global tour needs a star who wins everywhere, and that star is Roos Van Reek. The Dutchwoman was a tennis standout at the University of Nevada-Reno, and her rise in pickleball has been meteoric: today she is the No. 1 player from the Netherlands and one of the faces of the APP.
Her 2026 has been written across four countries. In June, at Pickleball DJOY in Vietnam, she won all three golds for a Triple Crown. In July, at the Leapmotor APP Asia Penang Open, she did it again: another Triple Crown. In August, in Chicago, she and Vivian Glozman won a heart-stopping women’s doubles final, 11-9 in the deciding game against Amanda Hendry and Emilia Schmidt.
And at the Proflex English Open Powered by the APP, the largest indoor pickleball event in history, she took gold in women’s doubles with Shelby Bates, gold in mixed doubles with Jack Munro and silver in women’s singles. Her APP career is only getting started, and it’s already hard to picture a podium without her.
Because Perseverance Pays Off: Domenika Turkovic
This story hits close to home for DINK Authority readers. Domenika Turkovic, our October cover star, spent the season knocking on the door. She won women’s singles at the English Open and took singles silver in Overland Park. Something was still missing: her first APP Tour gold.
It came in Columbus, at the APP Columbus Open Presented by The James. The Croatian defeated Jessica Evanier 11-8, 11-7, and the door finally swung open. At the same event, she reached the women’s doubles final alongside Glauka Carvajal-Lane and took silver.
The numbers tell her story better than any adjective: she earned two APP Tour medals in 2025, and she has seven so far in 2026. Domenika shows no signs of slowing down, and in these pages, we saw it coming.
Because the Future Is Already Here: Nicola Schoeman
A tour with a future needs young players who fear no one. Nicola Schoeman is 19, Australian and DUPR’s World No. 1-ranked junior women’s pro.
In Chicago, she earned women’s doubles bronze with Selina Turulja. In Detroit came her big breakthrough: alongside Richard Livornese Jr., she beat top seeds Megan Fudge and Aidan Schenk 12-10, 11-3 in the mixed doubles final to win her first career APP Tour gold. At the same event, she added women’s doubles bronze, this time with Amanda Hendry. She changes partners and keeps on winning. That can’t be taught: you either have it or you don’t.
Because the Pipeline Keeps Flowing: Bálint Bakó
Every great story has a first chapter, and Bálint Bakó’s was written in Detroit. The Hungarian, his country’s No. 1 pickleball pro, earned men’s singles bronze. It was his first APP Tour medal, in just his second APP event in the United States, and it added yet another flag to the medal table.
Bakó is a product of the APP’s Touring Pro Program, which brings together U.S.-based and international players ages 19 to 24 and gives them on-court mentorship and development to speed up their path to the elite. If this is the pipeline, the tour’s future already has a passport.
The Full Answer
So why is the APP Tour growing around the world? Because its legends come back, because fans fall in love, because some stars win in every country, because perseverance pays off, because young players arrive fearless and because the pipeline never stops.
And because these stories don’t stop at a border. Their protagonists compete in the United States, on the APP Asia Tour and at Global Pickleball Alliance (GPA) affiliated tournaments. The fan who followed Van Reek in Vietnam finds her again in Chicago and in England, and the one who watched Duong in Penang recognizes him in Columbus. The season becomes one single story, told in many languages.
“These athletes are winning titles, raising the level of competition and giving fans around the world a personal connection to our Tour,” Herrmann says. “Investing in international talent strengthens the experience for our players, fans and partners, and gives us tremendous confidence in the APP’s global future.”
For brands, that means reaching athletes and communities in several countries at once. For pickleball, it means something bigger: this sport no longer speaks just one language. At DINK Authority, where we tell its story in English, Spanish and Portuguese, we know that better than anyone. And we celebrate it.
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