A record 3,000+ amateur and professional pickleball players of all ages and skill levels from all 50 states and nearly 30 different countries will gather in Naples, Florida, from April 13-20 to compete in the 2024 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships, said to be the largest pickleball tournament in the world.

Among these players will be Carlos Morales from Gloucester. He will compete for the National Men’s Doubles Title in the 50-54 age group in the 3.5 skill level. Morales will team up with Michael Grewe of Missouri Pickleball Club, from Fenton, Missouri. Morales and his teammate were chosen from a lottery of more than 30 teams from around the world to participate in this event.

“Playing in this tournament has been on my bucket list,” Morales said. “This year, thanks to the encouragement and support of my wife [Anna Morales] and GPC [the Gloucester Pickleball Club], I will be able to achieve that goal. I put my name in the lottery for men’s singles, and I didn’t get picked fo...