Saint Lucia may soon join the global pickleball wave, and national tennis player Meggan William wants to lead the charge. The 24-year-old athlete has set her sights on turning professional in the fast-growing sport, provided she can rally enough local support to make it happen.
A paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball has experienced explosive growth in recent years. Invented in 1965 in the United States, its easy-to-learn nature and social appeal have attracted players of all ages and skill levels, which is why it is the fastest-growing sport in the US, with over 36.5 million players in 2023, and one of the most rapidly emerging sports on the planet.
Once a niche leisure activity, pickleball is quickly transforming into an organised sport, with a number of leagues, tournaments and hundreds of newly minted professional players vying for significant cash prizes.
William aspires to join them. At the University of Charleston, she played tennis for the Golden Eagles, studied for a first degree in exercise science, and remained very active in school life. She was a resident assistant in the resident halls, a student-worker, and a member of both the Student Activities Board and the Global Students Organisation.
The Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School alumna had long had designs on carving out a career in tennis. But that proved a daunting prospect, and she pivoted to her new passion after some friends invited her to try it at a park.
“I played tennis competitively from the tender age of nine years old up until playing the Billie Jean King Cup [for Saint Lucia] in 2024. I have always had a dream of becoming a professional tennis player. But after college, and getting into the real world, that dream became difficult to achieve while balancing life,” she reflected.
“When I decided to start pickleball and began competing, I felt that same fire and adrenaline that I feel when playing tennis. Pickleball has given me a refreshing feeling that I can keep that dream alive. It is a very similar sport to tennis, but also very different in its own unique ways. With my tennis background, I have an amazing pickleball game that can help me get to the highest level.”
When she first played in November 2024, William’s first response was, “Tennis is better.” But after three outings, she began to see her potential, and she began competing on a regular basis. She took gold in her first tournament and silver in her first major event, the 2024 World Pickleball Association World Championships in Las Vegas.
“I played many games in the park with others, and I was winning every game,” she recalled. “People were expressing how good I was at pickleball, and that began to sink in. I began watching some of the best pickleball players and saw how big the sport was becoming and how much opportunity there was to go professional.
“After one month of playing and learning more about the sport and professional opportunities, I decided to sign up for a tournament to discover my game in a competitive environment. My first tournament felt like I was at a tennis tournament. That competitive level came out, and I achieved the gold medal in my first pickleball tournament.
“I felt very accomplished after that tournament. I attracted a crowd that was very impressed with watching me play pickleball, and I really enjoyed competing in something again. After that tournament, I spoke to one of my friends I practised with, and I confidently said I would like to start training and competing to get to that professional level.”
This year, she’s taken mixed doubles gold on two stops of the Match Point Open Powered by Proton. Most recently, she won the women’s singles division at Midnight Heist in Utah, where over 50 players came out over the Emancipation Day weekend.
William, whose younger brother still plays tennis for Saint Lucia, is very clear as to her goals and expectations in the sport of pickleball. She wants to become a professional player, first and foremost. But she also wants to attain top 10 rankings in women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. As the sport gains greater currency worldwide, she is keen to represent Saint Lucia and the Caribbean at the highest levels possible.
Locally, moves are afoot to give the sport a firmer platform. A steering committee has been established for the sport, and they are preparing to engage the Ministry of Youth Development & Sports. A small but growing pickleball community, comprising over 60 individuals, plays at various facilities, mostly in Castries and Gros Islet.
Almost all of the half-dozen or so courts being used, for the time being, are makeshift courts. But the steering committee is also looking into the possibility of building a custom facility for pickleball, with three permanent courts. That facility, they say, would be multipurpose, including space for stage plays, concerts, and lectures.
The main purpose, however, would be to have a venue where kids and adults alike can come learn the game and be part of the movement. They believe that the same factors which have led to pickleball growing more rapidly than sports like tennis in the US and elsewhere will lead to similar growth here.
The local fraternity is eager to make their vision a reality, and they already have a rising star in the sport on whom they can hitch their wagon. Once the relevant permissions have been obtained, they are confident that they can have the national facility up and running within two years.
The next time Meggan William comes home, it might be to take part in a pickleball tournament right here on home soil.
