About Me

I was born and raised in Brazil, have had a very european upbringing because of my parents and grandparents. Have lived abroad, in London for a year and moved to the US in 2002.

I have always been passionate about sports with racquets and paddles. I started with ping-pong, and then moved on to tennis and padel. Padel is a popular sport in South America and Europe. It’s a mix of tennis, squash and paddle tennis. The main difference is that the padel court has walls and fencing, and the balls can be played off the walls like in squash.

As a padel player I competed at the national level, and represented Brazil at the Pan American Games and World Championships. I am a former top 5 padel player in the world.

I have been an International tennis coach for over 15 years (Brazil, England, and the USA), and I’ve been a tennis coach of the USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) for over 10 years.

I still love ping-pong, tennis and padel, but I must say I really got hooked on pickleball. It was like “love at first sight.” I couldn’t get enough of it. After playing a year, I was competing at the professional level, and wanted to become a certified instructor. In 2017 I was the first woman in Northern California to be certified by the IPTPA (International Pickleball teaching Professional Association).

Since receiving my certification, I have been teaching/coaching all levels of pickleball, and feel very fortunate to be able to use a lifetime of paddle/racquet experience in working with my players. I just love teaching, and if you’re looking for a passionate coach who will also work on your mind game, I’ m sure we’re going to be a great match.

PATRICIA DE CASTRO STRAZZI