Anna Leigh Waters remains undefeated since her break in April.

The reason for her month-long hiatus? Wisdom teeth removal. Par for a 16-year-old’s proverbial life course.

But unlike most her age, Waters is on track to bring in 7-figures this year. Not exactly the traditional high school experience…that and more ALW facts below.

In This Issue:

• Transition zone tips

• The end of sandbagging at tourneys?

• Tyson is back

• Anna Leigh facts

• Miami Pickleball Club’s first sponsor

Let’s move.

PPA Orange County Cup Results

Get Comfortable in the Mid Court

People refer to the space between the kitchen and the baseline as no man’s land.

It's definitely not a space we recommend you play from. It is, however, a spot that you're often forced to play from.

It's tough to go baseline-to-NVZ on anything less than a perfect drop. And even when you make it, it is common to be forced off the line from aggressive dinks and speedups.

Don't fret if your feet are planted in no man's land. Zane Navratil's got tips to help you win from the transition zone:

• Drill: Get comfortable playing in transition. Take two steps off the line and rally back and forth with your partner.

• On your toes: When retreating, it is easy to get caught on your heels. Zane recommends staying up on the balls of your feet. This will not only help you move side to side, but also add power to your counterattacks.

• Decision making: Chances are they're aiming at your feet. If the ball is low, practice resetting into the kitchen. If it's high, waist-to-shoulder-height, practice smacking an attack back at your opponent.

Being comfortable in an uncomfortable position comes with experience.

Put more reps in while in no man's land to prolong rallies and win more points.

Easy, Safe, Fun: Letric

Forget the hassle of finding parking at pickleball courts.

The XP Lite is a unique eBike with easy maneuverability, a twist grip throttle option, a basket to hold your things, and five levels of pedal assist.

Learn more about this fun transportation option here.

New Tech will End Sandbagging

MLP creator Steve Kuhn joins PicklePod this week. Steve is committed to growing the sport of pickleball domestically and internationally.

He unveils new initiatives that will place pickleball in more schools, create more playing opportunities, and end sandbagging once and for all (you hear that, Gary?). Don’t miss an all new episode with pickleball visionary Steve Kuhn.

Watch here or listen here.

McGuffin Madness

Tyson McGuffin was in his element on Championship Sunday…and yuggin’ Miller Lites with the crowd following his comeback victory over Connor Garnett.

McGuffin was down 5-10 in game one of the final but dug deep to escape with a 12-10 win. There was no stopping McGuffin after the comeback and he rolled through game two on his way to gold.

This win came on the heels of a loss in mixed doubles. He and Catherine Parenteau had an impressive run to reach Sunday but lost in straight games to Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns.

As expected, Waters brought home two more titles on the day to complete her fourth straight triple crown. She is the first player to ever string four together in the women's game.

She and Parenteau battled Etta Wright and Irina Tereschenko in the women's doubles final. Wright and Tereschenko turned heads on Saturday upsetting the #2 and #3 seeds to reach Championship Sunday.

A rain delay interrupted the broadcast yesterday. The delay, plus a five-game match in the men's final made for an extended day at the courts.

The Johns bros moved to 8-0 on Championship Sundays with a win over Riley Newman and Matt Wright. The brothers put together an awe-inspiring 18 straight unanswered points late in the match including an 11-0 pickle in game 4.

The mountains are calling, and the PPA answered. Next stop for the tour is Denver, CO starting July 13.

Obsidian from Gamma

Get ready to elevate your game and withstand the heat with the new Obsidian paddles from GAMMA Pickleball.

The GAMMA Obsidian pickleball paddles are available in both 13mm and 16mm core thickness and feature a raw carbon hitting surface for massive spin.

Increase your swing speed and power today by purchasing one on www.gammasports.com.

ALW Facts

Anna Leigh Waters has likely given more interviews than any other pro pickleball player.

In a recent conversation with Sports Illustrated, Anna Leigh provided some interesting details on her path to the top of the game…some we’ve heard before, and some we haven’t.

ALW - Interesting Facts:

• Athletics are in her DNA: ALW is the daughter of pro pickleballer and former University of South Carolina tennis player Leigh and former Gamecocks golfer Stephen. Her grandfather is former Cubs draft pick, Neil Eichelberger.

• Despite this biological advantage, Waters wasn’t good at sports as a (younger) child. “People would go up to my parents and be like, ‘are you sure this is your daughter? She should be really good at sports.’ But I just wasn’t,” she told SI. All that changed once she turned 12.

• ALW discovered pickleball after evacuating Florida for Hurricane Irma. She was reportedly skeptical of the game her grandfather showed her, but quickly took to it once she realized her tennis skills translated.

• Anna Leigh won her first national pickleball title at 12 years old.

• She considers Roger Federer a role model: “I always wanted to be like him and be #1 in the world,” ALW says.

Now she is #1 in the world, was the first overall pick in Major League Pickleball, and has collected 16 PPA triple crowns all at the age of 16. No wonder Sports Illustrated, Forbes and more have bought in to the ALW hype.

Miami Pickleball Club’s Official Beverage

The sports world is known for some zany sponsorships.

NFL linebacker Ray Lewis promoted the Snuggie. Werner is the “official ladder” of the NBA. And who could forget that most unforgettable of NCAA sporting events: the TaxSlayer Bowl?

So when we tell you that MLP’s Miami Pickleball Club announced a partnership with the prebiotic soda brand, Poppi...well, that doesn’t seem too shocking, does it?

As the team’s first official sponsor, Poppi plans to create a special Miami Pickleball Club flavor of its real fruit, low-sugar soda in 2024.

Honestly, the thought of a pro pickleball team having a prebiotic soda as its official beverage makes a lot of sense. We can expect more like this from MLP teams — consider all the owners from different walks of life who will now use their networks to bring sponsors to their team, the league, and the sport at large.

Let’s keep pickleball weird (and gut-friendly?).

Headlines & Quick Hits

• 12 Airbnbs for pickleball addicts (2023 edition)

• Aberdeen pickleball players help raise funds for Dacotah Prairie Museum

• ICYMI: The paddle taping guide

Highlight

• Ben’s experimenting

• Never planned but always pretty

• Pickleball in Uganda

• Ben Johns & ALW talk strategy

A review from the Dink Fam...