About Mari
Pickleball Journey
Mari started playing Pickleball in August of 2022 and immediately fell in love with it. She competed in her first pro tournament in December of 2022. Her focus in 2023 was to continue improving and competing as much as possible while maintaining her full-time job. In 2024, Mari is excited to be fully dedicated to pickleball.
Tennis Background
Mari started playing tennis at a young age. She started taking it more seriously and competing when she was 9. She competed in national and international tournaments across 4 continents. At 18, she received a full scholarship to compete for Winthrop University, in South Carolina, and ended her tennis career playing for the University of Louisville in Kentucky after transferring her junior year. She's still a big tennis fan!
Early Life and Background
Mari was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but moved back and forth between Sao Paulo and different cities in the U.S. growing up. Her last move to the U.S. was for college in 2014 and she's been here ever since. Her immediate family and extended family still live in Sao Paulo. Mari's native language is Portuguese, but she also speaks English and Spanish.
Education and Work Experience
Mari graduated with her undergraduate degree in Economics and minor in Marketing from the University of Louisville in 2018. She immediately started her professional career as an intern at a local advertising technology company called ElToro.com. She continued to work at ElToro.com as a full time employee as she pursued her Master's in Business Analytics from the University of Louisville, which she acquired in 2020. She went on to become the VP of Ad Operations at ElToro.com before transitioning to a consulting, part-time role, to pursue her professional pickleball career.