SPORTS
Back on the court: Former Lobos making it as pickleball pros
Tennis backgrounds for Acevedo, Huang helping them have success in new sport
Albie Huang spent two years after college working a regular job, her competitive tennis days seemingly behind her.
That was until pickleball found the former New Mexico player.
鈥淚 am kind of taking a risk on myself,鈥� said Huang, who played four years for the Lobos. 鈥淚 always had that fire to go back into (tennis). Then pickleball came out and then I got addicted.鈥�
She鈥檚 not alone.
Nico Acevedo, UNM鈥檚 former assistant men鈥檚 tennis coach, won a gold in mixed doubles and silver in men鈥檚 doubles at the Professional Pickleball Association championships in California in early May.
Together, the two former Lobos represent a growing wave of ex-tennis players finding a second competitive life in the sport.
For Acevedo, the pivot began in 2022 while he was still playing college tennis at Florida Atlantic, fitting given that Florida has become one of . Miami Pickleball Club coach Johnny Goldberg saw something in him and made his case.
鈥淗e offered me an opportunity to play, and I knew I can do it and he believed in me,鈥� Acevedo said. 鈥淛ohnny gave me that extra push and believed that I could make something great out of it.鈥�
Originally from Arica, Chile, Acevedo became an assistant coach for the UNM in 2024 and helped lead the Lobos to a Mountain West title in 2025, the program's first since 2009. He's no longer with UNM but still lives in the area and trains at Defined Pickleball in Rio Rancho. His tennis background, he said, has become his biggest competitive advantage.
鈥淚t has a huge part of my pickleball game,鈥� Acevedo said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very explosive player with fast hands and I think all of that comes from tennis.鈥�
Huang鈥檚 path looked different.
From Taiwan, she competed for UNM from 2017-21, rising to the No. 3 singles player. She's reached the highest levels of pickleball since going pro, joining the PPA; being drafted by the Dallas Flash, one of 20 teams in Major League Pickleball; and has competed internationally in Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea and China, with tournaments in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore on the horizon.
鈥淚've been fortunate enough to travel and then play some of the tournaments,鈥� Huang said, 鈥渁nd then get signed into the biggest pickleball organization.鈥�
The appeal for both players wasn鈥檛 just a professional opportunity. It was the novelty, a chance to be a beginner again after a lifetime in another sport.
鈥淟earning new techniques or shots, that part is always fascinating,鈥� Huang said. 鈥淲hen you play a sport like tennis for over 10 years, you learn what you need to learn and things got boring and then pickleball ... new things come out.鈥�
Still, some of those same tennis instincts later became obstacles. Huang said the habits that initially made the transition feel natural eventually became difficult to break.
鈥淲hen I first entered with my tennis skills, some of them are transferable,鈥� Huang said. 鈥淏ut later on, some of the tennis skills became a limitation for pickleball.鈥�
Acevedo described a similar adjustment in the way the game demands patience and tactics over power.
鈥淲hat drew me to pickleball is that it鈥檚 easier on the body, it鈥檚 a little bit more fun,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 enjoy it a little more because it鈥檚 more about strategy and waiting for the right moment.鈥�
Both credit pickleball鈥檚 accessibility as a major driver behind the sport's growth.
Unlike several sports, pickleball is one where a teenager can step onto the same court as a seasoned pro and compete.
鈥淵ou can have a 13-year-old go on a PPA tour and then beating a whole ton of people,鈥� Huang said. 鈥淚t proves again that this sport is not about power.鈥�
Acevedo offered a similar sentiment.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter how old you are,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can play it at any age at any level anywhere.鈥�
For Acevedo, the focus now is on climbing the professional rankings. He鈥檚 eyeing a top-15 finish in both men鈥檚 doubles and mixed doubles next year.
鈥淚鈥檓 a big believer that the better the ranking, the more exposure and more success will follow,鈥� Acevedo said.
Huang, meanwhile, is thinking beyond the court. Her multilingual background 鈥� she speaks Chinese and Taiwanese 鈥� has opened doors in pickleball鈥檚 growing Asian market, and she鈥檚 positioning herself as both a player and a business presence in the sport鈥檚 international expansion.
鈥淚n Asia, it鈥檚 a rising industry,鈥� Huang said. 鈥淲ith my multi-language background, I think that gave me a little bit of advantage to get my hand into a lot of business from an early stage, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 looking forward to doing, and then to make the impact.鈥�
For two players who thought their competitive days might be over, pickleball hasn鈥檛 just given them a new professional career. It鈥檚 given them something to chase again.
