Jay Devilliers returns to APP Tour, signaling new opportunity in pickleball

Jay Devilliers is heading back to the APP Tour in September 2026, bringing one of pickleball’s most recognizable personalities back to the league where he once reached world No. 1 and collected 18 APP titles. The move comes as the Association of Pickleball Players enters its eighth full season of elite competition and builds a 2026 calendar that includes 13 nationally televised APP Tour events.

For APP, the return is bigger than a roster addition. Devilliers, known across the sport as the Flying Frenchman, is a French professional player based in Wichita, Kansas, who turned pro in 2019 and has long stood out for a high-energy style that travels well with fans. That mix of visibility and history gives the tour something it has always valued: a player whose name carries both competitive weight and personality.

His resume on the other side of the net helps explain why the homecoming matters. Devilliers’ career page lists 2 PPA titles, 16 other finals and 29 bronze medals on the PPA Tour since 2020, a record that shows he remained a steady threat even while spending much of the past five years in the PPA ecosystem. Video listings from 2026 events, including the Atlanta Pickleball Championships and Newport Beach Open, show he was still active on the PPA circuit earlier this year before the APP move became public.

The return also reconnects him to a partnership that helped define the earlier phase of his career. Devilliers and Patrick Smith have a documented doubles record of 21-19 across 40 matches, with two silver medals and one bronze together. That history gives real substance to the language of going back to where it all started, and it makes the September switch feel less like a surprise and more like a return to familiar ground.

In a sport where players weigh schedule, identity and opportunity with increasing care, Devilliers’ decision points to APP as a place that can still draw a headline name and make that name central to its story. The Flying Frenchman is back where his APP identity was built, and the tour now gets to turn that reunion into part of its next season.