In this Christopher Haworth biography and profile, you’ll find his background, career highlights, rankings, playing style, partnerships, and the key facts that matter most.
Basics
Full Name: Christopher Haworth
Nickname: Pickleball’s Newest Cowboy
Nationality: American
Born: April 27, 1993 (Age 32)
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Height: 6’4″ (193 cm)
Current Residence: Edmond, Oklahoma
Playing Style: Right-handed
Year Turned Pro: 2023 (Pickleball)
Career Win Rate: 63.6% (407 career matches, 53 tournaments as of March 2026)
DUPR: 6.931 Singles / 6.219 Doubles
Record
Current PPA Tour Status: Top 5 Men’s Singles Player
Career Status: Active — PPA Tour full-time since 2025
Tennis Career Highlights:
- Played Division I tennis at Oklahoma State University (2011–2014)
- 100-5 high school career record at Putnam City North High School
- Three-time Oklahoma 6A State Champion
- Named All-American, Allstate Player of the Year, and All-American Player of the Year in high school
- Ranked top 6 nationally in boys 18-and-under
Socials
Instagram: @chrishaworth.pb — 11k+ followers
Management/Business: @topnotch_management
Bio
Born April 27, 1993, in Oklahoma City, Haworth grew up in a fiercely athletic family. Baseball came first — he won a national championship at the U9 level — before giving it up at age 10 to focus entirely on tennis. At Putnam City North High School he compiled a 100-5 career record, led his team to three consecutive Oklahoma 6A state championships, and was ranked as high as No. 6 nationally in boys 18-and-under before heading to Oklahoma State to play Division I tennis.
After college he gave pro tennis a shot on the ITF circuit, but the results were mixed and the travel was grinding. He spent four years directing a tennis academy in Oklahoma City until Thanksgiving 2022, when a club member invited him to a pickleball game on a whim. He was hooked immediately. By August 2023 he had handed in his notice and turned full-time pro — and in his first PPA event, he took a set off world No. 1 Ben Johns.
The 2024 season was a historic breakout: nine gold medals, two silvers, and one bronze across the APP and PPA tours. Babolat signed him as their first-ever professional pickleball athlete, and six months later he was nearly 2,500 points clear at the top of the world rankings. He moved to the PPA Tour full-time in 2025 and has only accelerated since, winning the PPA The Masters and the PPA Mesa Cup in 2026 — defeating Ben Johns in the final — to become one of only seven men in PPA history to win back-to-back tour events.
Career Timeline:
- 1993: Born April 27 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2002: Won U9 national baseball championship
- 2009–2012: Three-time 6A state tennis champion; 100-5 high school career record
- 2011–2014: Played Division I tennis at Oklahoma State University
- 2017–2018: Competed on the ITF pro tennis circuit
- 2018–2022: Directed a tennis academy in Oklahoma City
- November 2022: Played pickleball for the first time during Thanksgiving week
- March 2023: Entered first pickleball tournament
- August 2023: Turned full-time pro; won bronze at 2023 APP Sunmed St. Louis Open
- November 2023: Upset Ben Johns at the US Nationals
- April 2024: Signed with Babolat as their first-ever pickleball athlete
- 2024: Won 9 gold medals across APP and PPA tours; reached world No. 1; joined MLP California Black Bears
- 2025: Joined PPA Tour full-time; closed year ranked No. 6; won gold at Daytona Beach
- 2026: Won PPA The Masters, PPA Mesa Cup, PPA Lakeville Doubles, PPA Newport Beach Mixed Doubles
Personal
Family is the anchor of Chris Haworth’s life. He, his husband Jackie, and their four dogs — Spot, Lucy, Lola, and Zoe — are settled in Edmond, Oklahoma, close to both sides of the family. Jackie works in his family business. When Chris isn’t on tour, he’s at his nieces’ softball games — coached by his dad — or catching an Oklahoma State sporting event.
He’s been open about the fact that he considered relocating to a pickleball hub like South Florida or Austin but decided against it. Family proximity matters more than convenience. Unlike most top pros training daily alongside a large group of elite players, Haworth trains in Oklahoma with a smaller circle that includes players like Isabella Dunlap and Chase Holderman, putting in roughly four to five hours a day across gym work, drilling, and match play.
Education: Oklahoma State University (Business)
High School: Putnam City North High School, Oklahoma City, OK
Family: Parents Rick and Claudia; older sister Courtney (softball); husband Jackie
Pets: Spot, Lucy, Lola, Zoe
Interests: Oklahoma State Cowboys athletics, family, college sports
Partners
Current Paddle: Babolat STRKR+
Major Sponsors:
- Babolat — Primary sponsor; Haworth is the first and only professional pickleball player to hold a full Babolat sponsorship, with a head-to-toe “total look” deal covering clothing, footwear, and paddle
- Luzz Pickleball
- Brooklyn Pickleball Team (MLP)
- Topnotch Management — Agency representation
Equipment Details:
- Babolat STRKR+ paddle, weighted at 9.3 oz, used in both singles and doubles
- Credits the Life Time LT Pro 48 ball with complementing his baseline-heavy singles game — its higher bounce and greater spin consistency closely resemble a tennis ball, which suits his groundstroke-first style
Agent: Sam Flaxman (signed late 2023)
FAQs
Why did Chris Haworth leave pro tennis?
After a year on the ITF minor league circuit, Haworth found the travel exhausting and the prize money too thin to justify continuing. He stepped away in 2018 and transitioned into full-time tennis coaching in Oklahoma City, where he stayed for four years before pickleball pulled him back into competition.
How quickly did Chris Haworth reach the top of pickleball?
Within roughly 18 months of turning full-time pro in August 2023, he was nearly 2,500 points clear at the top of the world rankings — one of the fastest rises in the sport’s professional history.
What makes Haworth’s game stand out?
His two-handed backhand passing shot is widely considered one of the best on tour. At 6’4″, he covers the court at a level that very few tall players can match. His game is built on groundstrokes and athleticism, and the shift to the Life Time LT Pro 48 ball — with its higher bounce — gave his tennis-bred baseline game a distinct edge in singles.
What advice does Haworth give players hoping to turn pro?
He points to the PPA Challenger Series as the ideal entry point. Getting ten matches in a single weekend, meeting other pros, and finding partners is far more valuable than being thrown into main tour events too early with only one or two matches before hitting a wall.
