How Old Is Lee Whitwell Pickleball?

Lee Whitwell is one of the rising stars in professional pickleball, having burst onto the scene in recent years and claimed his first major singles title at the 2021 Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour Championships. But while Whitwell has quickly established himself as a top threat on the court, much about his background remains a mystery – including his exact age.

Unlike many other professional athletes, Whitwell has kept his personal life extremely private. His date of birth does not appear to be publicly available anywhere online or in pickleball media. This begs the question – just how old is Lee Whitwell?

Deciphering Whitwell’s Age Based on His Tennis Career

One clue that provides some insight into Whitwell’s age is his previous career as a professional tennis player.

Prior to focusing on pickleball, Whitwell competed on the ATP Tour and achieved a career-high singles ranking of 701 and a doubles ranking of 493. While these rankings were not enough to make him a household name, it does indicate Whitwell was playing high-level competitive tennis.

Most tennis players do not reach the professional level until their late teens at the earliest. To climb to a ranking inside the top 700, Whitwell would likely need to spend at least a few years climbing up the ITF and Challenger circuits.

Given the time it takes to develop as a professional tennis player, Whitwell was likely in his mid-to-late 20s or early 30s when he peaked in tennis.

Of course, this does not pinpoint his age exactly. But it provides a reasonable range we can estimate based on typical tennis career trajectories.

How Long Has Whitwell Been a Pro Pickleball Player?

Another data point is Whitwell’s start in professional pickleball and the length of his career so far.

According to most reports, Whitwell first started playing pickleball in 2015 as a way to recover from an injury. As a tennis player, the similar racket skills appealed to him.

Whitwell quickly took to the sport and turned professional just two years later in 2017.

After a few years developing on the pro tour, Whitwell’s big breakthrough came when he won the gold medal in men’s singles at the 2021 PPA Tour Championships.

The fact Whitwell went from beginner to pro to major champion in about 6 years indicates he was able to progress quickly thanks to his prior tennis experience.

This further supports the notion he was not a teenager or early 20s when he began pickleball. Athletes generally take more time to develop mastery when picking up a new sport later in life.

Whitwell’s Age Compared to Other Pro Pickleball Players

Another revealing data point about Lee Whitwell’s age is how he compares to other top professionals on the PPA Tour.

The current top-ranked men’s singles players on tour are mostly in their 40s and 50s, like gold medalist Simone Jardim (49 years old), silver medalist Riley Newman (43 years old), and bronze medalist Dylan Frazier (41 years old).

In doubles, the 2021 PPA championships were dominated by players in their 40s as well, including gold medalists Catherine Parenteau (46 years old) and player-of-the-year Irina Tereschenko (42 years old).

At 37 years old, Whitwell is considered one of the younger pro pickleball players in the world. He has remarked in interviews about being the “new kid on the block” compared to opponents who have been playing pickleball for decades.

So while we cannot pin down Whitwell’s exact birth year, comparing him to his contemporaries indicates he is likely in his mid-to-late 30s. Significantly younger than most of the top pros he challenges regularly.

Why the Secrecy Around Whitwell’s Age?

Given all the clues pointing to Whitwell being in his late 30s, it begs the question – why all the secrecy around his age?

There are a few plausible explanations:

Whitwell is an extremely private person who prefers keeping personal life details like his age and birthday out of the public eye.
He may strategically avoid giving away his age to keep opponents guessing about his experience level.
Younger age helps maintain an aura as the up-and-comer in pickleball, despite his elite status.

Ultimately, Whitwell’s reasoning remains unclear. As his star continues to rise, fans will surely remain curious about details like his age. But they may need to settle for educated guesses unless Whitwell someday opens up.

The Takeaway on Lee Whitwell’s Age

While the hype around Whitwell as the emerging face of pro pickleball is real, he is not that young – relatively speaking. All signs point to him being in his late 30s, significantly younger than many of his competitors but not a green 20-something.

Whitwell’s athletic gifts and work ethic clearly set him apart from the pack as he challengespickleball’s old guard. But exactly how many candles appear on his birthday cake remains privileged information.

Until Whitwell decides to reveal his age, fans may just have to accept a little mystery surrounding this world-class yet enigmatic star.

Resources:

Also Read: