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Endangered species blocks pickleball court

Endangered species blocks pickleball court

Alshon's Twitter feud. 3 tools to beat bangers.

April 05, 2024

How do you anger the entire tennis community in one morning? Just ask Christian Alshon. He’s got the blueprint. A single post on X (Twitter) ignited a heated debate with some of the biggest names in tennis, including Nick Kyrgios, James Blake and Andy Roddick. Ever heard of ‘em?

You’re going to want to see this. We break it down below.

You’re also going to want to see this. A pickleballer attempted to film her review of The Pickleball Box. It didn’t exactly go according to plan.

In honor of her fumble, use code BoxFumble for 25% of The Pickleball Box. Offer ends Monday.

Which part of your body gives you the most trouble after a competitive week of pickleball?

In This Issue:

🤳 Alshon’s online battle
🐌 Trump stymied by slugs
🏆 Tournament updates

Get your Twitter fingers ready.

Three Tools to Beat Bangers

John Cincola defines a banger as a one-dimensional power player. It’s someone who plays exclusively with power and has no plan B. He explains how to beat them in a new video.

Don’t let them off the hook
A banger takes high-risk shots on the court. If you just reset the ball, you’re giving them another chance to win the point with power. Instead, use one of these three options.

1. Punish
Stand your ground. Don’t flinch, don’t lean away from the net, and don’t reset the ball passively into the kitchen.

Punish their attempts. Use compact swings to counter their attacks with authority.

2. Leave
No, don’t pack your bag and leave the courts. Learn to let the ball go, leave it.

Cincola suggests deciding before the ball is even hit if you’re going to let it go. When making your decision, factor in ball height, their backswing, court position, forward momentum, and shot history when making the decision.

3. Don’t Give
Bangers thrive off of certain types of shots. A high ball with no spin is like Christmas for a banger.

Don’t give them a dead dink with no spin and a high bounce. Also, avoid giving them a ball they can hit out of the air, above knee height.

Instead of targeting spots on the court, target their feet. It will not only keep you safe but also force them into attempting low-percentage shots.

Learn more about 'Bangers’ and other common pickleball terms here.

Special Delivery for Pickleball Players

Do you wish someone would send a box full of pickleball gear to your house every three months?

If only they’d curate some of the newest and best products on the market, pack them together, and send them to my door. Well, look no further. Pickleball’s #1 subscription box is here.

Sign up for The Essentials Box or The Pro Box and receive a ton of pickleball gear for nearly half the price. You can save even more this week with code BoxFumble.

Alshon Taking on All Challengers

On Wednesday morning, Christian Alshon shared his thoughts on Twitter, probably over a nice bowl of Wheaties. The tweet has been seen by over a million people and went like this:

James Blake clapped back with the initial response from the tennis elite. He was backed up by friends Nick Kyrgios and Andy Roddick later in the day.

Undeterred by the tennis heavyweights, Alshon doubled down yesterday with a challenge of his own.

Of course, memesofpickleball knocked it out of the park with this one. What’s next for this Twitter feud? We will let you know if/when things heat up again.

Donald Trump's Pickleball Court Construction Blocked by Snails

Yeah, you read that right. Former President Trump had plans to add pickleball courts and other amenities to one of his resort properties thwarted by snails.

The resort in question is in Western Ireland. A survey revealed that it is home to millions of Vertigo Angustior snails. This snail type in particular is endangered and protected by the European Union.

The snails range from 1.5mm to 2.5mm (less than 1/10th of an inch) and are not the first shelled gastropods Trump has encountered. In 2014, CNBC reported that a community of snails challenged Trump's redevelopment plans for Doonbeg, a 400-acre retreat.

"It's a shame because the microscopic snail is found all over the world," Trump lamented in 2014. "If the environmentalists kick up, I am not concerned. If we build one of the great courses of the world, that’s a great thing for Ireland and great thing for tourism."

Alright, we will press pause on this round of pickleball Mad Libs 2024 edition.

Ready to Make Plays

Warstic is shaking up the pickleball court, and it's not just with their eye-catching designs.

Enter the WSPB3E and WSPB4E: these paddles don’t just play the game, they change it. Perfect for those who play hard and aren't afraid to show it, Warstic combines unmatched performance with designs that make a statement louder than your victory shout.

Ready to wield something as bold as your backhand? Swing by Warstic’s collection and let your paddle do the talking.

A SportsCenter Top 10 Effort in NC

It’s been a windy and rainy start to the PPA North Carolina Open. Some matches were moved indoors, while those outdoors gave a dramatically different look with heavy winds.

Diving ATP to Start the Match
Robert Slutsky was willing to leave it all on the court as an underdog in yesterday’s Round of 16. On the first point of the match, Slutsky risked it all to hit an unbelievable diving ATP against Yates Johnson.

Rocky Return for Ignatowich
Big Poppa Jimmy is fresh off a shoulder injury and doesn’t appear to be up to full speed just yet. Iggy is the No. 2 seed in both mixed doubles and men’s doubles but was upset in both events yesterday.

Rough Weekend to be a 2-Seed
The second-seeded Anna Bright/Rachel Rohrabacher also fell victim to an upset yesterday. Sarah Ansboury and the relatively unknown Audrey Banada aka @pickleballmama, advanced to the quarterfinals in their place.

Bouchard Defies the Odds
Genie Bouchard’s transition into pickleball has been less than smooth. After a couple tough outings, Bouchard managed to pick up her mixed doubles win alongside The Dink contributor Eric Roddy. Bouchard followed that up with a win over Lauren Stratman in singles. She will face Catherine Parenteau today.

The No. 43 seed making a run
Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez has been a highly competitive player on the APP Tour since making the switch from tennis. So far in North Carolina, he is knocking off higher seeds left and right. On his hitlist thus far: (22) Tyler Loong, (11) Jack Sock, and (6) Jaume Martinez Vich. He will face (4) Connor Garnett today in the quarterfinals.

Tune into the remainder of the event on Amazon Prime and Pickleballtv.

Singles Day Surprises from the APP Vlasic Classic

Just Win
JW Johnson is on the triple crown path in his hometown of Delray Beach. JW cruised his way to the singles finals yesterday. He and Dylan Frazier are almost a guarantee to reach the final in men’s doubles and a pairing with Milan Rane in mixed provides him with another great shot at gold.

Underdogs upset the ‘Johnson 5’
Katerina Stewart upset Jorja Johnson again in women’s singles this week. Meanwhile, John Cangelosi had his breakout weekend with wins over Dylan Frazier and Gabriel Tardio in men’s. Both underdogs finished just short of the podium in fourth place.

Catch the remainder of this event on APPTV and keep and eye out for the special broadcast on CBS Sports Network from 5-7pm ET tomorrow and 2-4pm ET on Sunday.