Jay Devilliers, the veteran pro known as the “Flying Frenchman,” has announced his return to the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Tour, effective September 2026, after spending much of the past five years primarily within the PPA ecosystem.
Announcing the move, Devilliers wrote, “Back where it all started with my boy Patrick Smith! I’m excited to be returning to the APP Tour this September. 2026, you’d better be ready.”
Devilliers is a former APP Tour world No. 1 and the 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Champion, partnering with Anna Leigh Waters. Before his time on the PPA Tour and in Major League Pickleball, Devilliers was one of the APP’s most prominent players.
The move comes amid a broader period of contract turnover in professional pickleball. Many of the high-value, multi-year contracts signed during the 2023 bidding war between the PPA and Major League Pickleball are set to expire by the end of 2026. Following the merger of the PPA and MLP under the United Pickleball Association (UPA), the organization has shifted toward a compensation model based more on prize money and incentives, prompting some players with expiring deals to reconsider their options.
That shift has already surfaced in other player comments. Earlier, Vivian Glozman spoke about feeling relieved following the termination of her UPA contract, describing herself as burnt out from a constant cycle of weekly tournaments and repetitive matchups.
Devilliers has not framed his own move as a criticism of the PPA, MLP, or the UPA more broadly. There is no indication that his decision reflects dissatisfaction with those organizations.
Format differences between tours may also play a role in player decisions more generally. The APP typically uses a double-elimination system with a back draw, giving players more matches and additional chances to earn prize money, while the PPA’s professional events more commonly follow a single-elimination format.
The APP has also been expanding its roster internationally in recent months, signing players from countries including Vietnam, England, India, and Australia.
With more 2023-era contracts approaching expiration, additional player movement between tours remains possible through the rest of 2026. Devilliers’ return to the APP stands as one of the more notable examples of this period of contract renegotiation and realignment across professional pickleball.
Written by Aditi Jain
