Pickleball: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Features

If you’re keeping tabs on paddle switches in pro pickleball (and you should be), this week delivered two major shakeups: Tina Pisnik and Dylan Frazier are now rocking new paddle brands—and neither move was expected.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 25

Data Shows Most Common Ailments for Pickleballers — How Some are Solving It

It starts as a twinge. A pinch. A quiet protest from your body. But by game three of open play, it’s yelling: “Hey, remember me?” If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Pickleball News / USA Pickleball / April 25

How to Create Topspin Drive and Driving to get out of trouble

Tip 1: Topspin drive Pace doesn’t phase strong players. That is a universal truth in pickleball. The stronger your opponents, the less likely it is that you will beat them simply by hitting hard.

Pickleball News / USA Pickleball / April 25

Drive Preparation and When to Hit a Third Shot Drive

Tip 1: Drive Preparation In pickleball, preparation is key. This could not be more true of the third shot drive! In fact, your preparation can make or break the entire shot.

Pickleball News / USA Pickleball / April 25

Third Shot Drive, Fifth Shot Drop and Driving Slice Return

Tip 1: Third shot drive, fifth shot drop When hitting a third shot drive, the best possible outcome is that your opponent flat out misses it, causing you to score a point just off that shot.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 24

USA Pickleball Files Countersuit against JOOLA in Escalating Paddle De-Listing War

USA Pickleball Association (USAP), the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in the United States, is now countersuing Sport Squad, Inc., the parent company of JOOLA.

Pickleball News / USA Pickleball / April 24

A Statement from USA Pickleball on the Countersuit Filed Against JOOLA on Friday, April 18

As the National Governing Body of the sport of pickleball, we strive to uphold the standards and values of certifications, rules, and regulations to promote integrity of the sport and fairness for all players.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 23

MUEV Named Official Uniform Partner of the St. Louis Shock

Pickleball’s fastest-growing fashion brand is hitting the big leagues—literally. MUEV (pronounced “move”), the high-performance pickleball brand turning heads since its September 2024 debut, has been named the Official Uniform Partner of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) team St.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 23

PodPlay, The Dink Launch 'ClipTHAT' to Feature Top Amateur Highlights Across the US

New York, NY — The Dink and PodPlay have teamed up to launch ClipTHAT, a new content series that showcases the best plays, wildest rallies, and most entertaining moments from everyday players across the country.

Pickleball News / USA Pickleball / April 22

A Pickleball Program For Special Olympians Is Thriving In New Hampshire

Dorothy DiBona recalled being reluctant when a friend encouraged her to try pickleball for the first time. “After hearing the unusual name, I was skeptical,” DiBona said.

Andre Agassi Makes Pro Pickleball Debut with Anna Leigh Waters at US Open

Tennis icon Andre Agassi is stepping onto a new kind of court—this time as a professional pickleball player. The former world No. 1 in tennis announced he will make his debut at the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 22

adidas Pickleball Unveils the All-New Metalbone Paddle Line

For nearly 100 years, adidas has been outfitting elite athletes with world-class gear. New today, they've re-entered the pickleball market with a fully redesigned Metalbone lineup.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 21

Top Ten Matches of MLP 2024

The 2025 MLP season is three days away. For a full preview of the season, including rosters, power rankings, and predictions, check out our preview article: In honor of MLP kicking off this week, we at The Dink wanted to give the fans our top 10 matches from 2024.

Pickleball News / PPA Tour / April 21

Erne and ATP Defense: a Pro Player Study

Ernes and ATPs on the PPA tour were usually winners not long ago. Now, those shots are frequently returned comfortably, continuing the rallies. How skilled are the PPA pros at defending Ernes and ATPs and keeping the ball in play?

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 19

MLP Franchises in D.C. and Brooklyn Swap Naming Rights

Major League Pickleball (MLP) franchises, the Brooklyn Aces and D.C. Pickleball Team, have announced they are swapping naming rights. What does this mean?

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 17

2025 PPA Points Race Update

About a month ago, we provided a first look into the 2025 PPA Points Rac e. With a big break on the PPA Tour, we figured this would be a good time to provide an update.

Pickleball News / USA Pickleball / April 16

USA Pickleball Serves Announces ‘Play It Forward’ Grant Program

USA Pickleball Serves, the charitable arm of USA Pickleball (USAP), announced that the ‘Play it Forward’ Grant Program is now open. This is the first monetary grant program offered by USA Pickleball Serves.

Pickleball News / PPA Tour / April 15

Keeping Third Shots “In Play”: a pro stats study.

For many years we have heard the conventional wisdom about keeping a ball “in play,” i.e., not hitting it into the net or out of bounds. Meanwhile, the Third Shot often sets the stage for the rest of the rally. How good are the pros at keeping their third shots in play, and what can amateur players learn from this?

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 14

Have We Been Lied To About Pickleball’s Origins?

Investigating Feature You can visit the birthplace of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts, where James Naismith nailed a peach basket to a gym balcony.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 14

New UPA-A Paddle Test Mimics Months of Play in Minutes

It's an accepted fact that the performance of many pickleball paddles changes over time. As core materials break in, power, pop, and spin can increase.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 14

MLP Changes 'Steal' Rule, Updates Waiver Periods (Again)

In a below-the-radar media move on Friday, Major League Pickleball (MLP) emailed the media announcing changes to the Waivers policy for the 2025 season.

Pickleball News / The Dink / April 14

The University of Texas wins the 2025 DUPR Collegiate National Championship

An All-Texas showdown at the Life Time Peach Tree Corners resulted in the first National Championship for the University of Texas Pickleball Club. The University of Texas at Austin (UT) beat the other finalist, Texas Christian University (TCU) in the finals.

Pickleball News / PPA Tour / April 11

History of Pickleball

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States and one of the fastest growing in the world. Along with the United States, pickleball is becoming popular in Australia, Canada, Mexico, India and China.