DEVELOPMENT
Jocelyn “Jay” Devilliers, often referred as the Flying Frenchman, has shot to the top of the sport in all three divisions. He has proven himself to be one of the most fiery and exciting players to watch and is one of the most popular professional pickleball players on tour. Fans visiting tournaments on-site do not have to spot Devilliers in action to know that he is on-court, thanks to his trademark “come on!” and steady positive communication with his partners. Devilliers consistently earns himself a spot in tournament finals and regularly places on the podium in all three events. He claimed his first Mixed Doubles title in 2021 alongside Jessie Irvine at the PPA Championship in Las Vegas.
During his childhood in France, Devilliers competed in a variety of sports including soccer, tennis, handball, swimming, squash, badminton, table tennis and skiing. He excelled in tennis and soccer particularly. Ultimately, Devilliers chose tennis and left his home country for Barcelona, Spain where he trained intensively from 2009-2012 to achieve his dream of becoming a professional tennis player. While there, he completed his high school diploma and met his future wife and fellow tennis player Aleksendra.
Sadly, after a severe injury, Devilliers’ ability to compete at the professional level became uncertain, and he made the decision to accept a college tennis scholarship in the United States. In 2013, Devilliers joined the men’s tennis team at Wichita State University. After graduating, Devilliers was introduced to pickleball and started competing as a hobby in 2019. He quickly realized that pickleball had a great many similarities to tennis, allowed him to take advantage of his natural abilities, and didn’t take as much of a physical toll on his body as tennis. He began competing full-time and hasn’t looked back since, citing pickleball as his new passion. Devilliers travels year round to maximize his
PPA Tour: Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships
Bracket Completed
Gold:
Ben Johns
Silver:
Connor Garnett
Bronze:
Hunter Johnson
Bracket Completed
Match #43
May 13
Callie Smith, Jay Devilliers
G1
11
-6
G2
11
-8
Mohaned Alhouni, Michelle Esquivel
G1
11
6
G2
11
8
Match #60
May 14
Callie Smith, Jay Devilliers
G1
6
-11
G2
11
-3
G3
11
-5
Travis Rettenmaier, Allyce Jones
G1
6
11
G2
11
3
G3
11
5
Gold:
Anna Leigh Waters / Ben Johns
Silver:
Etta Tuionetoa / Christian Alshon
Bronze:
Jorja Johnson / JW Johnson
Bracket Completed
Match #32
May 14
Jay Devilliers, Augustus Ge
G1
15
-13
G2
11
-1
Sergey Afanasenka, Alex Emery
G1
15
13
G2
11
1
Match #40
May 15
Pablo Tellez, Jaume Martinez Vich
G1
8
-11
G2
5
-11
Jay Devilliers, Augustus Ge
G1
8
11
G2
5
11
Match #44
May 16
Andrei Daescu, Christian Alshon
G1
11
-6
G2
11
-4
Jay Devilliers, Augustus Ge
G1
11
6
G2
11
4
Gold:
JW Johnson / CJ Klinger
Silver:
Ben Johns / Gabriel Tardio
Bronze:
Andrei Daescu / Christian Alshon