World No. 2 pickleball star Gabriel Tardio excited for 'bucket list' trip to Singapore

Gabriel Tardio is one of the best pickleball players in the world, ranked No. 2 in men's singles. The 21-year-old from Bolivia is visiting Singapore this month to promote a new paddle and teach clinics from September 16 to 18. For Tardio, the trip is a dream come true — Singapore has been on his bucket list since he was a little kid. He says pickleball is growing fast in Asia, and he is thrilled to be part of that growth.

Before coming to Singapore, Tardio spent two and a half weeks in Vietnam in April for the PPA Tour Asia MB Hanoi Cup. He won the men's doubles gold medal there alongside top-ranked player Ben Johns. The experience left a big impression on him, especially the energy of the crowds. He called the whole experience 'amazing' and said he personally loves learning about new countries when he travels.

Tardio was surprised by how professional the tournament felt. He said the venue in Vietnam was larger and more stadium-like than many courts he has played on in the United States. The crowd's excitement made the event feel like a major championship. 'The fans were going crazy,' he said, 'and it's something that you don't always have in the US.'

At his Singapore clinics, Tardio plans to teach more than just how to hit the ball. He wants players to understand pattern recognition — the skill of reading a game and knowing what to look for during a match. He believes most clinics only teach basic shots, but reaching a professional level requires deeper thinking. 'If you really want to get to the professional level, you cannot only be good at hitting the shots,' he said.

Tardio has a high opinion of the players he competed against in Asia. He rated the skill level at the Hanoi Cup a 'solid seven or eight' out of ten. He pointed out that the singles winner was Vietnam's Ly Hoang Nam, ranked 62nd in the world, which shows how strong Asian players have become. Tardio believes the gap between Asian and American players is closing quickly.

He thinks the main reason Asian players have not caught up fully is a lack of high-level practice partners. Once more Asian players travel to the US — or more US players come to Asia — both groups will learn from each other. Tardio predicts that within two to three years, an Asian player could crack the world top ten, or even the top five. That would be a huge milestone for the sport in the region.

Tardio also talked about what it would take for more top US players to compete on the PPA Tour Asia. He said players are mainly looking for prize money, ranking points, and better sponsorship deals. Right now, the money available outside the top 20 players in the world is not enough to cover the cost of international travel. Until that changes, it will be hard to attract a large number of elite American players to Asia.

His biggest dream for pickleball is a single, unified world tour — similar to how table tennis runs under World Table Tennis and badminton runs under the Badminton World Federation. Instead of separate regional tours, players would travel internationally twice a month under one banner. However, Tardio thinks this is still at least four years away, because the sport does not yet have enough money to support all levels of professional players. Still, he said, 'that would be pretty cool.'