Andre Agassi’s immersion into the sport of pickleball continues.

The eight-time Grand Slam tennis champion and one of only five men to complete the career grand slam signed with JOOLA, a global leader in pickleball and table tennis, the company announced on Monday. The announcement comes on the 30th anniversary of Agassi’s first U.S. Open win.

The announcement mentions “a groundbreaking line of equipment” from Agassi, which will surely include a signature paddle and other accessories and gear.

“Pickleball is not just a sport; it’s a community, and it’s growing at an incredible pace,” said Agassi. “Partnering with JOOLA allows me to bring my experience and dedication to pickleball. Together, we’re going to create something special that reflects our commitment to quality, innovation, and performance.”

The Agassi Collection will soon expand to include all-time tennis great Steffi Graf, who is also Agassi’s wife. Graf will work with JOOLA to develop her own line of equipment and accessories, designed specifically for female and international players.

“Andre Agassi’s influence on the world of sports is undeniable, and we are honored to partner with him as we take pickleball to new heights,” said Richard Lee, CEO & Owner of JOOLA. “This is more…

The Dink Minor League Pickleball is an innovative team competition where teams of 4 players (2 women and 2 men) compete against each other in an engaging format, with twists on traditional matchups and scoring for games, matches, and tiebreakers.

As the season inches closer to the National Championship (Dec. 13-15 in Fenton, Missouri), be sure to find a MiLP event near you to continue racking up those National Leaderboard points!

How to Secure Your Dream Ticket to The National Championship Through Upcoming Regional Showdowns

If you want a direct invitation to The Dink Minor League Pickleball National Championship, then you should sign up for a Regional Showdown.

Scroll down to find an event nearest you and register today or take the next step and organize your own event at a location near you!

What Event Organizers Feel Are the Best Benefits of The Dink Minor League Pickleball

Event organizers of The Dink Minor League Pickleball reveal the benefits of organizing tournaments across the country, including how much they earn per event.

Upcoming Events: September 1st – 15th

Rockwall, Texas

Venue: Oasis Pickleball Club

Date(s): September 6, 2024

Contact: National Pickleball, info@nationalpickleball.com

Register Here

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Red Bank, New Jersey

Venue: Life Time Red…

The English Open wrapped up this weekend in the United Kingdom, with its largest number of players to date. Nearly 2,000 participants from 42 countries participated over the last week as pickleball continues its explosive growth worldwide.

Statistics show nearly 30,000 citizens play pickleball in the U.K., and there are hundreds of places to play the game. I would guess that pickleball is only 3-5 years behind the game in the States.

Here are the key results and takeaways from this year’s English Open:

Women’s Singles

• Mollie Knaggs 
• Alexa Schull
• Pei-Chuan Kao

Knaggs is a British player who has only been playing pickleball for a year, and she was able to beat American Alexa Schull. Pei-Chuan Kao is another British player who earned a bronze medal. She is also the team captain for Sea Surge in MLP Australia.

Men’s Singles

• Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou
• Ryler DeHeart
• William Sobek

Manthou is not the tallest player on tour, but he is extremely quick and has great ground strokes and hands. He gets his nickname from his college days at the University of Washington, where he played D-I tennis – they are the Huskies and purple is their primary color.

Manthou recently published his Master’s Thesis while attending…

The English Open is taking place this weekend from August 8th-14th at the Telford International Centre. Telford is in the western part of the country, approximately three hours northwest of London.

Rob Nunnery, Megan Fudge, Ryler DeHeart, Riley Bohnert, Jack Munro, Erik Lange, Max Manthou, and many other Americans are taking part in the festivities.

There will be 41 temporary courts at the Centre, which is essentially a modern convention center. The event has 1,976 registrants hailing from 42 different countries, a staggering number for a region still wrapping its arms around the sport. Participants range from ages 7 to 70.

Here is the entire list of events for the entire week:

Here are the numbers of players in each OPEN draw, which includes some well known U.S.-based players:

Women’s OPEN Singles: 25 players

• Notables: Riley Bohnert, Susannah Barr, Brooke Revuelta, Lauren Mercado, and Kelsey Grambeau

Men’s OPEN Singles: 60 players

• Notables: Ryler DeHeart, Max Manthou, Erik Lange, Richard Livornese, Jr., Jayden Broderick, William Sobek, and Jack Munro

Mixed OPEN Doubles: 90 players

• Megan Fudge/Jack Munro
• Allison Harris/Erik Lange
• Susannah Barr/Rob Nunnery
• Brooke Revuelta/Jack Foster
• Kelsey…

It’s the end of an era.

Parris Todd has announced via Instagram that she is leaving Selkirk, where she has been a sponsored athlete since 2022.

Parris is known for her fiery and competitive spirit on the pickleball court.

But it’s not just her pickleball skills that make Parris special.

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She’s the type of athlete who transcends the sport she plays with her positivity and passion. She’s known for giving her time freely to fans and has built a social following that proves it.

She helped create a signature paddle, clothing line, and other pickleball accessories during her time with Selkirk as one of their top athletes.

About Parris Todd

Parris is currently ranked 8th in Women’s Singles on the PPA Tour and has won over 43 medals on the APP and PPA Tours. She has also won two MLP titles and was a triple crown winner at the US Open in 2023.

She currently plays for the Orlando Squeeze in Major League Pickleball, where she was a standout in the previous tournament.

Dallas Flash and Texas Ranchers Enjoy MLP’s First Trip to Utah

The Dallas Flash and Texas Ranchers had quite a weekend at MLP’s first event in the state of Utah. Our Erik Tice recaps all of the…

The competitive season is upon us and there is nothing quite like competing in a team-based event like The Dink Minor League Pickleball.

Five Reasons to Play in The Dink Minor League Pickleball

Looking to enhance your tournament-playing experience? We highlight five reasons why you should play in The Dink Minor League this summer.

Click here to skip the details and enter the giveaway

To help prepare you for competition, we’re giving away the ultimate training package so you can drill your heart out leading up to one of our local or regional events.

What is The Dink Minor League Pickleball?

The Dink Minor League Pickleball is an innovative round-robin team competition with guaranteed matches. Mixed teams of 4 players (2 women and 2 men) are broken into divisions (based on their combined DUPR rating) to compete against each other in four 21-point games (2 gendered, 2 mixed)

Sign Up for The Dink Minor League Pickleball

Giveaway Details

The window to enter The Dink Minor League Pickleball Giveaway is July 15th – July 26th, 2024.

The winners will be selected on July 29th, 2024.

How to Enter

Click here to submit your e-mail address and enter the competition. For more chances to win, complete the actions on the giveaway page.

To maximize your entries, you’ll need to:

The Dink Minor League Pickleball is an innovative team competition where teams of 4 players (2 women and 2 men) compete against each other in an engaging format, with twists on traditional matchups and scoring for games, matches, and tiebreakers.

As summer comes to a close, be sure to find a MiLP event near you to continue racking up those Leaderboard points for a shot at the National Championship!

Five Reasons to Play in The Dink Minor League Pickleball

Looking to enhance your tournament-playing experience? We highlight five reasons why you should play in The Dink Minor League this summer.

Scroll down to find an event nearest you and register today or take the next step and organize your own event at a location near you!

Frequently Asked Questions About The Dink Minor League Pickleball

Looking for more information about The Dink Minor League? Want to learn more about how to host a local event? We’ve got all of your resources.

Upcoming Events: August 1st – 14th

Fenton, Missouri

Venue: Missouri Pickleball Club

Date(s): August 3-4, 2024

Contact: Monika Ray, monika@mopickleballclub.com

Register Here

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Wilmington, Delaware

Venue: Siegel JCC

Date(s): August 3, 2024

Contact: Players Club Pickleball, dan@playersclubpickleball.com

Register Here

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Lake Geneva, Wisconsin…

MLP Australia held its Season 2 Draft on July 4th. The first season was three events, with the Northern Crocs winning the first two as well as the most points. 

The second season is also three events:

• August 29 – September 1 – Gold Coast, Australia
• October 17 – October 20 – Vietnam, Asia
• November 7 – November 10 – Melbourne, Australia

There are 12 teams in MLP Australia:

*Captains are responsible for drafting their three teammates

How the draft worked:

Order of the draft:

The Player Pool was announced on June 30th.

We’ll focus on the US-based players that were taken in the MLP Australia draft for Season 2.

From the rules laid out above, each team is allowed up to one “international” player. So theoretically, up to 12 players classified as “international” can play in MLP Australia Season 2. 

If you want to watch the recorded live draft, check out the MLP Australia’s YouTube channel. Also, if you want a full recap of all the players drafted, check out MLP Australia IG account:

The nine US players drafted

Women

21st Pick – Western Vipers – Shelby Bates – Bates brings a ton of experience from the APP Tour. She has three quarterfinal finishes on the APP Tour already this year in women’s doubles, with two top-10 finishes in mixed doubles. She brings…

USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the United States, announced a $225,000 purse for the 2024 BioFreeze USA Pickleball National Championships on Nov. 9-17 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Ariz.

USA Pickleball members competing in professional divisions will have the chance to vie for prize money across three competitive divisions including: Pro, Champions Pro and Masters Pro.

“The significant prize purse reflects USA Pickleball’s commitment to elevating the sport, supporting pro athletes and providing competitive opportunities at the highest level,” said Mike Nealy, CEO of USA Pickleball. “The Arizona Athletic Grounds will be the perfect backdrop for highlighting the skill and dedication of our members as well as recognizing their achievements and rewarding excellence in the sport.”

Multiple categories underneath each division are eligible for prizes including Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Pro Division will payout through the round of 16, Champions Pro Division (representing competitors aged 50 and up) will pay out through the quarterfinals and Masters Pro Division (representing competitors aged 60 and up) will pay out four places.

Expect Some…

Ben Johns, the most decorated men’s professional pickleball player in the sport’s history (and the highest compensated), might be in a bit of a slump.

Or the rest of the professional landscape is starting to catch up to him.

Johns has mostly played men’s doubles this year with his brother, Collin Johns, except at PPA Sacramento, which Collin skipped. They have won five gold medals on the year, all in the first four months of 2024.

Since the Veolia PPA LA Open, the Johns brothers have not won a tournament together. Here are their finishes in the last two months: 4th, 4th, 4th, and 5th.

• First four months: 5 golds, average finish: 4.6
• Last two months: 0 golds, average finish: 4.6

#1 Pickleball Pro Makes over $2.5 million per year

Ben Johns recently told CNBC what his expected pickleball income will be in 2024. The figure may surprise you.

It’s not all bad for Ben, as “Matty Pickles” highlights in this graphic below. In mixed doubles – where he plays with the top women’s player in the world, Anna Leigh Waters – Ben Johns is winning at a ridiculous 96 percent clip.

However, in men’s singles and particularly in doubles, Ben has hit the skids of late, relatively speaking of course.

Are Ben Johns’ days of dominating the PPA tour over? Don’t bet against him…