The Dink Pickleball

Last weekend, The Dink Minor League Pickleball held?another spectacular tournament?in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Feeling jealous? Don’t sweat it—there are?plenty more events?coming up, with locations ranging from Mexico, Australia, & Italy.

Beauty may be in?the?eye of?the?beholder, but court style is always on full display. From JW and Jorja Johnson to Kate Fahey, Eric Oncins, and more, here are?the?best-dressed pros?from?the?PPA Texas Open.

Let's see how your home state stacks up in our national Pickleball Obsession Index. We crunched the numbers, looking at pickleball facilities per capita and the sheer volume of related Google searches. Spoiler: Vermont leads with a score of 7.2 out of 10 on our obsession scale, while Louisiana might need a little more convincing. Once again, Andy Roddick’s take on pickleball has us scrambling for headlines, and his latest remarks are no exception. On a recent episode of “Served with Andy Roddick,” guest Brené Brown sparked a lively discussion by comparing the intensity of pickleball and tennis players, humorously suggesting she’d pick pickleball players in a street fight. Our fearless leader Thomas Shields will be leading a panel at RacquetX this coming Monday on brand-building in today’s rapidly evolving sports industry.?Miami, here we come.

Andy Roddick didn’t realize pickleballers were a national security concern… until now. The tennis legend weighs in on the sport’s shockingly heated debates, from noise complaints to court battles. Turns out, playing a game with a plastic ball can get you on the wrong side of city councils and government officials. Full breakdown of Roddick’s take on pickleball’s biggest controversies. ??

New evidence is published yearly that debunks?the?Food Pyramid, but can?the?Pickleball Skill Pyramid hold up to skeptics? The?concept below is?credited to Coach John Van Handel?via Kelly Maciuba and depicts how skills should be developed to become a more complete player. What?the?image lacks in style it makes up for in substance and is a good way to?visualize your training goals. We all want to hit a rocket drive or use spin to break our opponent’s ankles but until you’ve?mastered?the?basics, those shots are going to do more damage than good. If you’re looking to add a new skill to your game, like a two-handed backhand, start at?the?bottom of?the?pyramid and master?the?base layers before attempting to add power. Of course, this model comes with some criticism. Some believe that spin should top power on?the?pyramid. And coach Morgan Evans eloquently suggested, “All these things are branches on a tree but none of them are?the?trunk or?the?roots.” What’s your take? Do you think skill development should follow this hierarchy?

Malaysia is betting on pickleball to get kids off their screens and into the game. With rising concerns over childhood inactivity, Malaysia is taking a different approach—less scrolling, more dinking. Let’s break down how they’re making it happen. ??

America has spoken, and the verdict is clear: Pickleball isn't just a trend—it's a movement. For the fourth year running, it's clinched the title of the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. 13.6 million dabbling casually while 6.2 million swung their way into the core player category. That's a staggering 45.8% jump from last year! The UPA-A is clamping down, ensuring every paddle swings true to its specs. Under new regulations, if a paddle from a batch veers off the mark by more than 10%, it's game over for that model. This means stricter quality checks and possibly penalties for manufacturers. This week on the PicklePod, we talked to rising pro Zane Ford, known for his flashy style, and Andrei Daescu, a quiet force in PPA men’s doubles with a glittering record across multiple tours. And don’t miss our talk with Pran Kohli from Pickleball World Rankings, who sheds light on the delayed international tour and the future of global pickleball competition.

For the fourth straight year, pickleball holds the title of America’s fastest-growing sport—now closing in on 20 million players in 2024. At this point, it’s less of a trend and more of a full-blown movement.

Pickleball vs. Padel: The battle for America’s courts is heating up. One is taking over public parks at an insane pace. The other has luxury clubs popping up left and right. So which sport is winning the popularity contest? The numbers are in. ??

Just when we thought Rodney Adams was set for a career catching frisbees, the former NFL wide receiver made a game-changing pivot to pro pickleball. Adams is now “training with the best” in preparation for his new pursuit. Pickleball has been smashing records as America's fastest-growing sport, but padel isn't far behind, sprinting up the popularity charts worldwide. With 30 million players worldwide, padel is booming in Spain and across Europe, while pickleball, with 20 million players, dominates U.S. courts and continues to expand globally. The Dink Minor League Pickleball just released?an updated schedule of 2025 events, including State Championships and Regional Showdowns.