Rachel Stuhlmann Named World's No. 1 Pickleball Influencer
After an historic vote among members of the OutKick Culture Department, it is my honor to announce that Rachel Stuhlmann, who was already the world's No. 1 tennis influence, as named by OutKick, has been named the world's No. 1 pickleball influencer.
Stuhlmann is the first influencer in OutKick history to hold the No. 1 ranking in two sports.
In a dramatic Instagram post sent out Monday afternoon, Stuhlmann wore her customary two-piece tennis outfit, but upon a closer look, there was a dramatic content pivot associated with this upload – Rachel was holding a pickleball raquet and a PICKLEBALL instead of a tennis ball.
And just like that, we have an OutKick first.
"Yes, I like to play pickleball! I love how the sport brings communities together in a positive, healthy, and social way," Rachel told her fans on Monday. "No, it’s not ‘taking over tennis.’ That’s a very dramatic take lol. There’s room for both sports to thrive. And I don’t mind the sound."
These quotes echo many of the same sentiments the world's No. 1 shared with OutKick in 2023 as pickleball found itself in a tough spot at lawsuits started popping up across the country over noise complaints associated with the sport. Things got so nasty in September that a woman wanted a park to close its pickleball court while she tried to sell her $36 million house that has a pickleball court.
Stuhlmann says she now considers herself to be a "raquet sports girl."
"Tennis, pickleball, pedal [a Mexican racket sport], platform tennis, squash, ping pong- truth is, I love them all," she added.
In 2023, Stuhlmann seemed to be at a career crossroad. She was the world's No. 1 tennis influencer, but investment money has been pouring into pickleball. Stuhlmann is a businesswoman. She knows the numbers. She knows which brands are looking to bring her into the pickleball fold.
It seemed to be weighing on her.
Today changed everything.
Now she's the first dual-sport influencer in OutKick history. This is big.