Who is John Lucian Goins? Five things to know about rising PPA Tour pickleball pro

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Mar 13 2025

1. Goins signed with JOOLA in January

After a couple good runs through pro qualifiers and some early round wins in the main draw of PPA Tour events toward the end of 2024, Goins signed a paddle deal with JOOLA in January 2025. He's currently playing with the 16mm Perseus 3S, which you can buy here.

2. Goins is an avid chess player

Perhaps that shouldn't come as a surprise given his ability to construct cat-and-mouse points in singles that leave his opponents guessing what his next move will be. See examples here and here.

3. Goins is a junior in high school and a 5-star tennis recruit

Goins is a junior in high school in Bradenton, Florida, and turns 17 later this month. He's currently a 5-star tennis recruit, according to Tennis Recruiting, so it will be interesting to see if he chooses to pursue a college tennis career or go pro in pickleball. Or could we see him do both successfully in the coming years? Time will tell.

4. Goins is racking up big-time wins in singles -- will doubles results follow?

As we've seen with a number of high-level tennis players, singles results often come first. To date, Goins has singles wins over several notable pros, including Johns, Dylan Frazier, Gabe Tardio, Grayson Goldin Yates Johnson, Pablo Tellez and Brandon French.

With those wins in singles, he's likely to catch the eye of fellow pros and start getting high-quality doubles partners. Fact No. 5 should also help in that regard ...

5. Goins is now signed with the UPA

Following his bronze medal run in Cape Coral, Goins signed a deal with the UPA, guaranteeing him main draw appearances going forward. That should help him in doubles as he'll be able to get more high-level reps against top pros as the season progresses.

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