AFTER FINDING THEIR SWING IN HIGH SCHOOL, YATES RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS TO PLAY TENNIS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE, BUT SHORTLY AFTER DECIDED TO TRANSFER TO SMU IN DALLAS, TX. IT WOULD PAY OFF FOR BOTH YATES AND HIS TWIN BROTHER HUNTER AS THEY WOULD GO ON TO BECOME THE WINNINGEST DOUBLES TEAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY WITH A CAREER HIGH RANKING OF 15 IN THE COUNTRY IN DOUBLES. IN 2016 YATES WOULD HELP SMU TO THEIR FIRST NCAA SWEET 16 APPEARANCE IN 23 YEARS.

IN 2017, YATES WOULD QUICKLY FIND HIMSELF ON THE TENNIS PRO TOUR IN DOUBLES. DEVOTING 4 FULL YEARS TO HIS CRAFT WITH A COMBINED 14 PROFESSIONAL TITLES INCLUDING 13 ITF FUTURES AND 1 ATP CHALLENGER TITLE. TOGETHER YATES AND HUNTER WOULD BECOME THE ATP TOP 200 DOUBLES RANKING IN THE WORLD, 13 PROFESSIONAL DOUBLES TITLES, D1 NCAA TOP 15 RANKED DOUBLES TEAM AND SMU’S WINNINGEST DOUBLES TEAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY.

AT THE END OF 2021 YATES MADE THE INCREDIBLY TOUGH DECISION TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE SPORT HE LOVED AND BECOME ONE OF THE FIRST TENNIS PLAYERS TO TRANSFER TO COMPETE IN PROFESSIONAL PICKLEBALL AND AT THE BEGINNING OF 2022.

YATES HAS QUICKLY MADE A NAME IN THE SPORT WINNING HIS FIRST BRONZE MEDAL AT THE PPAS BAIRD WEALTH MANAGEMENT GRAND SLAM EVENT IN CINCINNATI. YATES’S CAREER CONTINUES TO EXPLODE AS HE LOOKS TO AN EXCITING 2023 SEASON BY BEING DRAFTED BY THE COLUMBUS PICKLEBALL CLUB.