5 things to know about pro pickleball player Zane Ford

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Apr 08 2025

1. Ford has big goals in pickleball

Ford doesn't shy away from sharing what he hopes to accomplish in the sport, but he doesn't speak about those goals as if they will be easy to achieve. His belief that he can be one of the best players in the game shows that cares deeply about getting results and is putting everything he has into elevating his game.

By the end of this season he hopes to be ranked top 5 in men's singles and top 15 in men's doubles and mixed doubles. After that?

"I want to be the best player on tour within the next couple years," he said. "That's my main goal."

2. Ford originally planned to pursue a pro tennis career

It's a cliche that gets thrown around a lot in pickleball these days: Such and such player has a high-level tennis background. A lot of times that just means they played tennis in college, but not necessarily at a good college and not necessarily as one of the team's best players.

In Ford's case, he actually was a high-level junior tennis player, moving from Pittsburgh to Naples, Florida, when he was 14 years old to attend a tennis academy with hopes of one day going pro. He played on the ITF (International Tennis Federation) junior circuit for several years and at one point was a top 5 junior in the country.

But when it came time to decide where he wanted to go play in college, Ford decided he didn't want to pursue pro tennis anymore and chose to skip college and go after a pro pickleball career instead. That seems to have worked out.

3. Ford signed with Six Zero in January 2025

Ford previously didn't have a paddle sponsor, but his agent had a good relationship with Six Zero and introduced the two parties late last year.

Since switching to the Six Zero Ruby 14mm (buy it here), Ford's results have only continued to get better.

"I think it's really improved my game and I just I make a lot less errors," he said. "The Ruby gets a lot of spin and has a lot of control, but you can be still be aggressive when you need to be."

4. Ford is from Pittsburgh, but roots for the Cavs

Ford also played basketball and soccer growing up and followed basketball most closely from a fan perspective. Since his hometown of Pittsburgh doesn't have an NBA team, he gravitated toward the Cleveland Cavaliers -- about 130 miles north -- especially in the mid-2010s when LeBron James led the team to the NBA title.

5. Ford has put an emphasis on his social media presence lately

Ford started posting more reels and instructional content on his Instagram account in late 2024.

He said it's important for him to produce that type of content since he is relatively new to the pro scene. The exposure brings more sponsors, which helps him commit more resources to improving his game, and it also increases awareness among fellow players and potential future partners.

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