Although she’s best known as “Pickleballmama,” the popular pickleball content creator, Audrey Banada made headlines in April of last year by becoming one of the few pros to defeat Rachel Rohrabacher and Anna Bright in doubles. Off the court, Banada is a mom of three — MJ, AJ, and Zariah. AJ, a Selkirk Emerging Pro, and MJ are rising talents in the sport of pickleball, while Zariah, who grew up surrounded by the game, is just getting started.
In honor of Mother’s Day, Audrey shared her passion for pickleball and what it means to be a mom in a family of pickleball players.
Q: How did you and your family get your start in pickleball?
A: My brother, Val Banada, got things started! He was playing with our family friend Chris, and when I came down to visit Miami, Chris called me saying, “I think you’d be really good at this!”
At first, I wasn’t hooked — Zariah was just 1.5 years old, so I was deep in mom life. But by May 2022, I was all in, hunting for high-level players while also introducing it to my husband, Alex, and the kids. Before long, the kids were out playing as much as (or more than) I was with their dad, uncle, and the locals, getting hooked.
The kids still joke, “Yeah, we were like, where’s Ma going all the time?” Soon, AJ got serious about tournaments, and MJ eventually left his travel baseball team to focus fully on pickleball.
My husband plays when he can, and has been the rock of our family, always supporting me and the kids — and it’s really all Zariah knows; she’ll be turning 6 this Mother’s Day.
Q: What’s the best memory you have playing pickleball with your kids?
A: I have so many special learning moments with the kids, but my favorite memory is watching AJ and MJ compete as a team for the first time at the Atlantic City Open in September 2022. They played 3.5 19+ Doubles — probably the youngest team there — and went the distance, taking gold! I watched them on center court, taking their final time-out as Rob Cassidy gave them the play, and AJ bravely executed it for the win. It was incredible to watch two brothers get along (for once, haha!) — AJ was 13, MJ was 10, and their 3-year-old sister was asleep in a wagon on the sidelines.
Q: What does it mean to be able to play and share pickleball with your kids?
A: It’s honestly the biggest blessing. Growing up, there were no videos — my kids never saw me compete in tennis at the University of Miami, only heard the stories.
After watching me take down one of the best teams in pickleball, Rohrabacher and Bright, in April 2024, they saw with their own eyes that anything is possible.
Being able to build that belief in them is more than I could ever ask for. Our relationship has grown so much through doing hard things together, winning together, and especially losing together.
We’ve been able to travel the country as a family, just like I did as a junior player with my brother and dad, who was my coach. Competing alongside my kids at the highest levels is a dream I’ll never take for granted. We lean on each other, and we’ve built a family life around something we all love — it’s priceless.
