Tyra “Hurricane” Black grew up in the pressure cooker of junior tennis — sitting courtside in a stroller while her dad coached pros, traveling the world alone at 13, and being turned pro without even knowing it. The burnout, stress, and antidepressants that followed nearly pushed her out of sports for good.

Then an earthquake in Turkey became her wake-up call. Tyra came home, tried pickleball, and everything changed. Within two years she went from complete beginner to top-5 in the world, got signed to an MLP team before ever playing a tournament, and even beat Anna Leigh Waters — all while rediscovering joy for the first time in years.

In this episode, Tyra joins Roscoe and Jared to talk about leaving tennis, how pickleball helped her get off antidepressants, battling an autoimmune scare, MLP drama, protecting her Dallas Flash teammates, quitting singles after a PPA title, and what she wants the sport to become. Raw, honest, and insanely inspiring.

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1:32 Growing up in Boca with a tennis family

4:56 Quitting tennis as a kid and rescuing animals

6:54 Sister Tornado’s insane junior career and brutal injury

7:50 Traveling alone at 13 and burning out on tennis

10:47 DoorDash Ad

11:05 Turned pro at 13, and feeling miserable on tour

13:52 Earthquake in Turkey and the “what am I doing?” moment

15:07 Falling in love with pickleball and giving it a real shot

17:44 Depression, antidepressants, and how pickleball changed everything

20:25 Getting signed to MLP before ever playing a pickleball tournament

20:55 Pickleballers Hat Ad

21:11 Autoimmune diagnosis, hair loss, and playing through fear

24:30 MLP Culture

26:13 Can players call each other out and still show empathy

29:23 Living for others, guarding her team, and wanting everyone happy

30:43 The match where Tyra beat Anna Leigh Waters in singles

32:24 Massive respect for Anna Leigh and her dominance

34:43 Why Tyra quit singles after winning a PPA title

37:00 The mental load of singles vs doubles and needing a “partner”

39:35 Tyra’s mindset against Annaleigh and why she plays free

42:14 Not letting pickleball become toxic like junior tennis

43:42 Crazy sports parents and how to protect kids in the sport

45:23 Gambling, pressure, and keeping humanity in pro pickleball

46:40 Inside the Dallas Flash: culture, chemistry, and family vibes

49:05 Roster cuts and tricky MLP realities

51:19 Tornado and Nicole

54:31 Julie Johnson’s coaching and support on and off the court

56:57 How Tyra wants pickleball to evolve: paddles and international growth

59:11 PPA high school superlatives

1:01:57 2025 plans: partners, Christian for mixed, Jorja for women’s

1:03:42 Turning down a paid partner offer and choosing chemistry over money

1:08:45 How Tyra wants to be remembered and what truly matters

#Tyrablack #Pickleballers #Pickleball #PPA #MLP #ProPickleball