Family Member
Ernesto Russo
Player Bio
Ernesto Gianluca Russo grew up in Milan, Italy. He converted from Paddle Tennis to Pickleball in 2023. In his first Pro PPA Pickleball tournament in January of 2023, Ernesto played Ben Johns on central court at the Hyundai Masters in Palm Springs after making it all the way through the qualifiers. Russo, as the star and main protagonist in the soon to be released reality-documentary ‘Kings of Venice’ about the rivalry of paddle tennis and pickleball, mentioned to Ben that he would be coming for him very soon, making the story even more exciting.
Ernesto Gianluca Russo grew up in Milan, Italy. He converted from Paddle Tennis to Pickleball in 2023. In his first Pro PPA Pickleball tournament in January of 2023, Ernesto played Ben Johns on central court at the Hyundai Masters in Palm Springs after making it all the way through the qualifiers. Russo, as the star and main protagonist in the soon to be released reality-documentary ‘Kings of Venice’ about the rivalry of paddle tennis and pickleball, mentioned to Ben that he would be coming for him very soon, making the story even more exciting.
Ernesto was one of the top junior players under 18 in Italy and competed against the likes of Wavrinka, Seppi, and Bagdatis. He also played on the Pro Tennis Tour in Asia and coached top Chinese up and coming junior athletes in central Shanghai, China.
In addition, Ernesto has great commercial and print ad value as he was a former luxury brand fashion model in Europe and Shanghai and has rocked the runway for brands such as Versace and Dolce & Gabbana. He has also graced life-sized billboards in Milan for Dirk Bikkembergs.
Ernesto lives on the beach in Venice, California overlooking the famous Venice Beach Paddle Tennis courts with his wife Katrina, son and emerging junior pro Luka, and French bulldog Freyja.