Former collegiate and professional tennis coach Matthew Manasse grew up in Erie, PA submerged in tennis culture. For Manasse, life was all tennis all the time. He set his sights on a professional tennis career from an early age, and even moved to a Florida high school to position himself better for the realization of his dream. 

However, during his collegiate playing days at USC and Purdue, Manasse realized that a pro tennis career wasn’t in the cards. Manasse shifted gears, taking a position with tennis racket manufacturer Babolat in the marketing/ scouting division.

He had visions of becoming the next Ari Gold, a toned-down version of the resourceful, high-octane sports agent played by Jeremy Piven in his favorite show Entourage.

Manasse enjoyed his experience at Babolat, but something wasn’t quite right and he missed the court. What followed was a successful seven-year stint as a collegiate and professional tennis coach.

Manasse coached at Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, and Duke University, winning three conference titles, reaching an NCAA Team Final, an Elite 8, and back-to-back Final Fours along the way. Most recently, Manasse coached WTA Top 50 player Shelby Rogers, right up until the pandemic shut down the world in 2020. 

Amidst a global panic that spawned the concepts of social distancing and mask mandates, Manasse’s career had stopped short. Slathered in hand sanitizer and contemplative juices, Manasse headed home to Erie. The universe had a pleasant surprise in store, albeit cloaked in a veil of viral mist and chaos.

“To have a slow-down and a reset was kind of nice, but I was alone in Pennsylvania and no one knew what the next step was going to be.”, Manasse told OSDB Sports. “We weren’t allowed out of the house, so I started making TikTok videos to occupy my days. I wanted to put out creative, funny content, and I got a couple of thousand followers that way.

“I mainly just did the TikTok videos, usually about three per day, worked out, and made sure to eat healthily during the first little while. Then pickleball happened.” 

What is pickleball, you may ask? According to the USA Pickleball Association, pickleball is a paddle-ball sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. Pickleball was first played by three dads in Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965.

The origin of this sport’s strange name is a matter of debate, even between the game’s creators, but Pickleball’s increasing popularity is undeniable.

Pickleball is America’s fastest-growing sport, with 4.8 million people clamoring to the courts to get their pickle on. This exciting sport is fun for all ages and skill levels, and can get quite competitive.

As a proud member of the 4.8 million-and-counting pickleball faithful, yours truly can personally attest to the addictive nature of this highly strategic sport. Pickleball rocks! Odds are that you’ll be hooked too, once you have a few games under your belt. 

You can fit four standard pickleball courts on a regulation tennis court, indoor or outdoor. The net requires a slight modification. You’re armed with a stout paddle and get to whack around a perforated polymer ball (similar to a Wiffle Ball). You can play singles or doubles, and there are specific rules to follow (stay out of the “kitchen”!!!, for example).   

Prior to the pandemic, Manasse had only played pickleball once, several years ago at a tournament he was recruiting at

“I played that one time and never really thought about it again.”, Manasse admitted to OSDB with a chuckle. “Then I got back to Erie, and I was invited indoors to our tennis club to play. One of my friends knew the owner and had keys, so even though everything was closed due to COVID, we were able to get in.

“We played pickleball instead of tennis, and I picked it up pretty quickly and realized that this was a sport I could do something with. Within a couple of months, I decided to sign up for a tournament in Los Angeles to test myself against some of the best in the world.”

Manasse jokes that he got to L.A. on the last of his Marriott points and a dream. Matt touched down on California soil in August 2020, and thus began his romance with pickleball and The City of Angels.

Within the first week, Manasse inexplicably found himself playing alongside Entourage creator Doug Ellin and several other high-profile pickleball competitors. The stars were starting to align for Manasse in Hollywood. 

On October 8, 2020, Matt packed his bags for a new life in Los Angeles. After a couple of months of relentless pitching to the Riviera Country Club, Manasse earned an opportunity to offer a free pickleball clinic to the club members. 

The first clinic led to a second clinic, which ultimately landed Manasse a permanent position. Now Manasse has had the chance to coach the likes of Jordan Belfort, Larry David, and Drew Brees. 

Manasse was even flown to Kennebunkport, ME, to put on a clinic at former President Bush’s summer compound.

“George couldn’t get out on the court because of a knee issue he was dealing with, but he did watch us and I hear that he’s a pretty good player,” Manasse recalled to OSDB. “Drew Brees loves to rip the ball. Anytime he gets the chance, he just smokes it. He’s a cerebral player, just like he was on the football field, so he’s still working on the finesse part of the game and the finer aspects. Drew probably just needs a couple of lessons from me, or someone like me, to lock that in.” 

“Jordan Belfort is a good athlete and has a pretty solid tennis background. His dink game and the strategic piece of his play needs some polish, but it’ll come.

“Larry David is very curious and understands all of the concepts. He’s actually really athletic, especially for a 74-year-old. Larry played handball back in the day in NY, and that taught him to be able to switch hands with the paddle, and it translates really well to pickleball.”

It sounds like Larry David is pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. It’s tough to Curb Your Enthusiasm in this type of situation. Matthew Manasse walked through a COVID-crusted portal in Pennsylvania and emerged in the sun-soaked paradise of L.A. Now, Manasse is already known as the “Pickleball Coach to the Stars”.     

“I always wanted to get involved in the entertainment side of things, and to have the opportunity to really get to know people like Doug, Larry, Jordan, Drew, and all of the other amazing people I’ve met and played with on the courts over the last year and a half…and form real friendships on the court, it’s just amazing.”, Manasse told OSDB. “You get to see these guys in a different light. They aren’t stressed out in the office, they’re out on the court to have fun, and it’s a beautiful thing. You really get a unique perspective, and I’m loving every minute of it.” 

If Pickleball’s popularity continues to grow at the rate it is now, the contagion may reach the 2028 Summer Olympics. In order for pickleball to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the sport needs to be played in 75 countries across four continents for Men’s competition, and 40 countries across three continents for Women’s competition. The 2028 Summer Olympics will of course be played in Los Angeles, so Manasse and the L.A. pickleball community would essentially have front-row seats. 

“I do think pickleball is on track for the 2028 Olympics,” Manasse mused to OSDB. “The sport is growing internationally. The U.S. has what is considered to be the top pickleball pros in the world, and they’re spreading the sport to other countries pretty quickly. You have guys like Casey Wasserman, who’s the head of the Olympic Committee for 2028, who is friends with Ari Manuel and other people who are playing pickleball in the Los Angeles area. These are people who can help to influence these types of decisions. There’s a huge push to get more facilities in L.A., permanent pickleball courts, and the energy around the sport is strong. The Riviera, where I’m at, just added four permanent courts. Los Angeles is getting ready for the very real possibility of Olympic pickleball.”