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Hats off to Tama Shimabukuro. The 15-year-old had a breakout performance in Atlanta, but ultimately had to settle for silver in singles. Still, his goal was a medal. And he earned one in style. (Plus about 20,000 new Instagram followers along the way.)

Otherwise, Championship Sunday was business as usual for the favorites, except for one very ill-advised moment of crowd support against Anna Leigh Waters. What happened next, below.

In This Issue:
— The pickleball shoe basketball built
— Anna Leigh silences the crowd
— Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Don’t come for the Queen.

A few familiar faces, a few first-timers, and even a couple juniors make the list for the best dressed pros at this past week’s PPA Atlanta Slam. Lots of color. Plenty of patterns. Here’s who wore it best.

APP pro Vivian Glozman took to social media to prove just how differently the same paddle models can sound over time, comparing a failed Li-Ning model to a new one. The difference is crazy. And kinda scary. Hear it for yourself.

Years in the making, pro pickleball’s first real, behind-the-scenes, big budget documentary is here. “Partners” premieres tomorrow on Prime Video, Pickleball TV, and the PPA Tour’s YouTube channel. Catch the trailer first.

Kate Fahey was staring an improbable game point in the face against Anna Leigh Waters in the first game of yesterday’s gold medal singles match. Then the crowd started chanting Kate’s name. Anna Leigh was… not a fan. And proceeded to win the next four points — and the game.

There are all sorts of ways to win a point on a sitter at the kitchen line: the flick, the poke, an offensive lob if you’re feeling dangerous.

The most underrated yet effective is perhaps the humble punch.

Here’s how to master it, according to content creator and coach Ed Ju.

✅ First, the grip. Hold your paddle flat against a wall so that the face and your forearm are flush against the surface. Like you’re shaking hands with it. That’s what you want.

✅ Next, grab a ball machine or a partner and have them feed you chest-high balls at a slow to medium pace. Let these ricochet off your paddle. The goal here is consistent contact on the sweet spot and getting a feel for the grip and paddle position.

✅ Repeat this 15 times, now adding power. These aren’t full swings; your paddle face should only come back about 12 inches. You’re not hitting the ball; you’re punching it. Get it?

Here’s the secret sauce: the punch is more of a movement than a power level. You don’t need to hit these with devastating speed. You only need to hit them down at your opponents’ feet for an an easy winner. It’s that simple.

The punch is so effective because the super-compact swing path means the ball gets off your paddle in a hurry. It’s not a haymaker. It’s a jab. More often than not, that’s all you need.

✅ Watch and learn.

Most pickleball camps try to cover everything.

A little dinking. A little serving. A little strategy.

And you leave… better, maybe. But not transformed.

Selkirk Academy does it differently.

Each camp focuses on one part of your game—power, precision, competition—so you can actually improve it, not just touch on it.

Plus video analysis and coaching feedback so you know exactly what’s changing.

Less surface-level. More real progress.

➡️ See upcoming Selkirk Academy camps near you!

Most brands come (flock…in droves…might be more accurate) to pickleball, but pickleball came to Stria Sport.

The Chicago-based basketball footwear and apparel brand noticed a strange trend. A subset of their most loyal customers weren’t playing basketball at all. They were avid pickleballers.

Interesting, right? Consider our curiosity piqued. We surveyed you, our loyal readers, and it turns out, 35% of you don’t wear actual pickleball shoes. Not totally surprising. Of those 35%, 10% wear basketball shoes (#2 behind tennis shoes, obviously). Surprising.

Why? Founder Eric Porter surveyed these customers. Their explanation: it’s the unique combination of ankle support, durability, and comfort; they can’t find it in any other shoe.

So Porter, the savvy founder he is, went “full send,” as the kids say. He’s no stranger to bold moves. Recently he brought on two-time NBA All-Star and current Philly 76er Andre Drummond as the brand’s Creative Director and part owner.

His latest bold move is signing current PPA Tour #2 Gabe Tardio, co-designing a dedicated pickleball shoe, and launching Tardio’s first signature shoe under the Stria brand.

Drummond was all-in on the idea to sign Gabe Tardio, or the “Cooper Flagg of pickleball,” as he describes him. Tardio, hilariously humble as he is, offered “yeah I’m tall and skinny so I guess it makes sense,” when we asked him what he thinks of the description.

Yeah Gabe, it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re a 20-year-old phenom racking up trophies left and right.

➡️ Check out Tardio’s signature shoe, the G1, and the innovative brand behind it.

News flash: Your mom doesn’t want another crusty box of chocolates.

She wants a Boomstik. Or a fresh pair of court shoes. Or 100 Franklin X-40s.

Whether she plays every week or has just been thinking about getting into it, we’ve got just the thing. A complete gift guide for the pickleball-loving mom in your life.

Bonus: use code “THEDINK” on many of these products and score a sweet little discount for yourself. Win-win.

➡️ Better hurry up.

If you’re playing multiple days a week, your body keeps score.

Feet. Knees. That general wear-and-tear that starts to add up.

And it’s usually what limits how often you can actually play—not your schedule.

VKTRY Insoles are designed to offer serious support and help reduce the strain that builds over time, so you can stay out there longer and come back the next day feeling better.

More stability. Less fatigue. More time on court.

See what VKTRY Insoles are all about.

The PPA Atlanta Slam was punctuated by jaw-dropping points, some fresh new faces making deep runs, and more than one controversial line call.

This was the final regular season PPA Tour event, offering 2,000 points to winners, some of whom are still vying for spots in this week’s PPA Final.

We don’t know just yet everyone who earned the right to play in the Finals (you’ll hear it here first when we do), but there was plenty of action in Atlanta to keep us entertained in the meantime.

Here’s who came out on top at Championship Sunday:

So… yeah. The best were exactly who we thought they were. Aside from a tight first game between Anna Leigh and Kate (12-10), none of these matches were even close. All singles matches were decided in two games; all doubles matches decided in three.

Not a nail-biter in the bunch.

The Cinderella run of Tama Shimabukuro (pictured above) ran into a buzzsaw in Chris Haworth. Just too much power and consistency. Same goes for the highly entertaining duo of Garnett and Bellamy. They were dominant right up until they came face-to-face with Ben and Gabe with a gold medal on the line.

Still, this tournament proved the talent pool of pro pickleball is exceptionally deep. And ultra-talented young players are coming for the crowns.

➡️ Our guy Erik Tice breaks it all down.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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