For Emilse "Emi" De Los Santos and Michael Salm, pickleball is more than a sport. It's where they met, where they compete, where they've built their professional careers, and even where Michael popped the question to Emi.

Their story is an unlikely one, beginning as a last-minute partnership at a friend's birthday party and developing into a relationship that includes everything from competing together in mixed doubles tournaments to building a business and running their own pickleball academy.

Unexpectedly Finding a Partner – and Then Falling in Love

Emi didn't plan to go to her friend's birthday party and therefore wasn't expecting to meet Michael.

But a women's doubles teammate was leaving town to move to Utah and convinced Emi to spend the weekend together. The party included a fun little pickleball tournament, and Emi and her teammate made it to the championship match.

The only problem was that her partner had to leave before the final.

Emi needed someone to fill in, and Michael happened to be sitting nearby. He offered, simply saying, "I'll play!"

Emi and Michael competed together for the first time on that birthday party court. They won. Afterward, they immediately hit it off as partners. When another local Moneyball rolled around shortly thereafter, they decided to enter together again.

That's when things really took off. There would be more tournaments, more Moneyballs, more drills, more practices, and more wins and losses. At some point during all of this, their pickleball partnership evolved into something more.

Pickleball Became Their World On and Off the Court

Nowadays, both Michael and Emi work full-time in the pickleball industry.

Michael works as the CEO of Founders League. Founders League connects entrepreneurs and CEOs through pickleball, giving its members a chance to build relationships with other successful individuals while having fun and competing together.

Emi is a full-time pickleball coach. Her specialty is helping players develop their skills, gain confidence on the court, and form relationships with fellow players. In addition to coaching, she is also ranked among the top 10 Mexican women on DUPR.

DUPR is the global pickleball rating system that measures a player's performance level based on match results. Here are their most recent DUPR ratings:

• Emilse De Los Santos: 4.73 DUPR | 430 matches
• Michael Joseph Salm: 5.10 DUPR | 207 matches

Players interested in learning more about how DUPR ratings work can read DUPR's rating and algorithm FAQs.

Together, they also created their own pickleball academy, EMP Academy, where players can train and receive instruction from both coaches. One of their favorite aspects of the academy is training mixed doubles teams who want to improve their chemistry or prepare for competitions together.

Still Teammates on the Court

Emi and Michael are still regular competitors together in mixed doubles tournaments and Moneyballs today, and people frequently ask the duo how they manage competing together while also being a couple.

According to Michael and Emi, it comes down to their ability to communicate effectively with one another.

Both know what type of energy they need to maintain on the court, how to support each other, and how to recognize when something isn't going right and needs improvement.

They've both played sports since childhood, so they're familiar with the nerves and emotions associated with athletic competition. Win or lose, they leave the court as a team.

Competitive players looking for more opportunities to play can also explore The Dink Minor League Pickleball, which gives amateur players additional opportunities for team-based competition.

A Pickleball Engagement

On August 8, 2026, the day after Michael's birthday, he told Emi he wanted to continue celebrating with friends at Urban Pickleball Club and play a little pickleball.

At the time, Emi had just gifted Michael a new 11SIX24 paddle. The two planned to take photos with the paddle for Emi's social media. While Emi was preoccupied with taking photos, Michael told her to turn back toward him.

When she did, he was holding a ring.

He proposed to her right then and there at Urban Pickleball Club.

Once she said yes, their friends began arriving with champagne for a celebratory toast.

It seems like fate couldn't have picked a better spot for their proposal: a pickleball court, a new paddle, friends who love pickleball as much as they do, and the sport that ultimately brought them together in the first place.

There is also a unique connection between these dates.

Michael asked Emi to be his girlfriend on July 7, 2025. Since 2 + 5 = 7, they refer to the date as 7/7/7.

Then, precisely one year, one month, and one day later, Michael proposed to Emi on August 8, 2026. Since 2 + 6 = 8, the date becomes 8/8/8.