Jhonnatan Medina: A Pro Player Who Builds
From competing in Davis Cup for Venezuela to becoming a Top 3 player in the pickleball world, Jhonnatan Medina isn't satisfied with just playing — he's building community, brand, and opportunities for a growing sport.
Richmond, Virginia — There's a question Jhonnatan Medina has probably asked himself more than once since 2022: why start over when you'd already arrived?
Because he didn't come to pickleball looking for a second chance. He arrived having already had his first — and having made the most of it. Born in Caracas, Jhonnatan built a professional tennis career that took him to the Top 400 of the ATP ranking and saw him wear Venezuela's colors in Davis Cup, competing against some of the continent's best tennis players. In 2008 he moved to the United States to open his own tennis academy in Florida, and in 2016 he became a U.S. citizen. Over time, that trajectory led him to a role uncommon for a Latin American in the college circuit: NCAA Division I Director of Tennis, at Longwood University.
He could have stayed there. Most people would have.
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Instead, in 2022, he decided to bet everything again — this time on a sport that was just beginning to explode in the United States. Pickleball wasn't a retirement plan or a hobby to stay active. It was a conscious decision to compete at the highest level again, knowing exactly what it takes to get there because he'd already done it once.
And he got there again. Today Jhonnatan is a former Top 3 APP Tour singles player and a former Top 15 DUPR player in the world — numbers that place him among the most complete players on the professional circuit. In 2023 he won five medals, including gold at APP Atlanta. He's the #1-ranked singles player in Virginia and also #1 in Venezuela on the DUPR ranking, in addition to having been #2 in DUPR singles in Spain after representing Spain's colors at the 2024 European Championship, where he took gold and silver. In 2025 he added gold at the Indian Open in singles and medals at the PPA Challenger events in Columbia and New York. For 2026, he already has the USPL 35+ title with Bat City Bangers, a spot on the MLP 40+ roster with LA Xtreme, a call-up to Team Europe for the MLP Mid-Season Event, and his selection to Spain's national team in the Open division to represent the country at the Pickleball World Cup in Vietnam.
Along the way, he's faced — and beaten — recognized names on the professional circuit, including Yates Johnson, Hunter Johnson, Pablo Téllez, Ryan Sherry, Jack Foster, William Sobek, Chris Haworth, Tyler Long, Jack Sock, Jaume Martínez Vich, Collin Shick, and Riley DeHart.
But reducing Jhonnatan to a list of medals would mean missing the most interesting part of his story: what he's done with the platform he's earned. He's the published author of Results Generate Results, and co-host of "Línea de Fondo," a Spanish-language podcast dedicated to pickleball, competition, and the growth of the sport — a space built directly for a Spanish-speaking community that often gets left out of pickleball's central conversation in the United States. Today he also serves as a Global Advisor for NOX Pickleball, working on player activations, product development, and strategic brand growth across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
Behind all the titles is the life he's built alongside his wife Piper and his son Leonardo Vicente in Richmond, Virginia — and the name under which he trains and competes today, "The MAX," his own athletic development project based on the book he wrote.
Jhonnatan is represented by S² Sports & Entertainment, under the management of his agent Nate Shaffer.
His goal, he says, is to use everything he's learned as a professional athlete, coach, product developer, and international competitor to help grow pickleball globally — and create real opportunities for players, brands, and the sport itself.
Jhonnatan — always active, always with something on his plate, but always finding the time for whoever comes looking for him, giving them his best. A fighter, a born competitor. Until the next story.
From competing in Davis Cup for Venezuela to becoming a Top 3 player in the pickleball world, Jhonnatan Medina isn't satisfied with just playing — he's building community, brand, and opportunities for a growing sport.
Richmond, Virginia — There's a question Jhonnatan Medina has probably asked himself more than once since 2022: why start over when you'd already arrived?
Because he didn't come to pickleball looking for a second chance. He arrived having already had his first — and having made the most of it. Born in Caracas, Jhonnatan built a professional tennis career that took him to the Top 400 of the ATP ranking and saw him wear Venezuela's colors in Davis Cup, competing against some of the continent's best tennis players. In 2008 he moved to the United States to open his own tennis academy in Florida, and in 2016 he became a U.S. citizen. Over time, that trajectory led him to a role uncommon for a Latin American in the college circuit: NCAA Division I Director of Tennis, at Longwood University.
He could have stayed there. Most people would have.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Instead, in 2022, he decided to bet everything again — this time on a sport that was just beginning to explode in the United States. Pickleball wasn't a retirement plan or a hobby to stay active. It was a conscious decision to compete at the highest level again, knowing exactly what it takes to get there because he'd already done it once.
And he got there again. Today Jhonnatan is a former Top 3 APP Tour singles player and a former Top 15 DUPR player in the world — numbers that place him among the most complete players on the professional circuit. In 2023 he won five medals, including gold at APP Atlanta. He's the #1-ranked singles player in Virginia and also #1 in Venezuela on the DUPR ranking, in addition to having been #2 in DUPR singles in Spain after representing Spain's colors at the 2024 European Championship, where he took gold and silver. In 2025 he added gold at the Indian Open in singles and medals at the PPA Challenger events in Columbia and New York. For 2026, he already has the USPL 35+ title with Bat City Bangers, a spot on the MLP 40+ roster with LA Xtreme, a call-up to Team Europe for the MLP Mid-Season Event, and his selection to Spain's national team in the Open division to represent the country at the Pickleball World Cup in Vietnam.
Along the way, he's faced — and beaten — recognized names on the professional circuit, including Yates Johnson, Hunter Johnson, Pablo Téllez, Ryan Sherry, Jack Foster, William Sobek, Chris Haworth, Tyler Long, Jack Sock, Jaume Martínez Vich, Collin Shick, and Riley DeHart.
But reducing Jhonnatan to a list of medals would mean missing the most interesting part of his story: what he's done with the platform he's earned. He's the published author of Results Generate Results, and co-host of "Línea de Fondo," a Spanish-language podcast dedicated to pickleball, competition, and the growth of the sport — a space built directly for a Spanish-speaking community that often gets left out of pickleball's central conversation in the United States. Today he also serves as a Global Advisor for NOX Pickleball, working on player activations, product development, and strategic brand growth across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
Behind all the titles is the life he's built alongside his wife Piper and his son Leonardo Vicente in Richmond, Virginia — and the name under which he trains and competes today, "The MAX," his own athletic development project based on the book he wrote.
Jhonnatan is represented by S² Sports & Entertainment, under the management of his agent Nate Shaffer.
His goal, he says, is to use everything he's learned as a professional athlete, coach, product developer, and international competitor to help grow pickleball globally — and create real opportunities for players, brands, and the sport itself.
Jhonnatan — always active, always with something on his plate, but always finding the time for whoever comes looking for him, giving them his best. A fighter, a born competitor. Until the next story.
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