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The UPA has sent out contract extension offers to signed pros, aiming to lock in the sport’s top talent through 2028 with a new mix of guaranteed minimum salaries and cash rewards for PPA and MLP event winners — pulled from a total annual prize pool of around $15 million.

Beginning in 2026, this marks a new era for the sport’s pro ranks, where results, rather than appearances, are rewarded. New year, new stakes. We break it all down below.

In This Issue:
— 3 pros making headlines join the PicklePod
— Why top players obsess over paddle ‘dwell time’
— New contracts shake up pro pickleball

Money, money, money.

There’s something about the idyllic vistas of San Clemente, CA, that brings the heat. From Hunter Johnson’s hunter green ensemble to the understated Nike dress from Ting Chieh Wei (plus some Gucci drip from coach Leigh Waters), here’s who wore it best in the OC.

We’ve all played an out ball and lived to dink again. But when the ball in question is five feet wide and you play it after hitting a fantastic ATP, well, it might be time to pack it in for the day. You’re definitely going to want to ClipTHAT.

Pros Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti are airing it out on social media, dishing on everything from beefs with other pros to the prevalence of PEDs on tour. Or this: The talent in the junior ranks is incredible, they say, but some of these kids need a serious attitude adjustment.

After sending Collin Johns packing, the Carolina Hogs have put the league further on notice, acquiring Etta Tuionetoa from the Texas Ranchers in exchange for Kaitlyn Christian plus a little cash. This confirms it: The Hogs are hungry for the playoffs.

When heavy-hitting pros like James Ignatowich and Jack Sock are putting their power paddles away for something more plush, you know something’s up. Even at the pro game, control is paramount. Ultimately, that boils down to one key paddle attribute: dwell time.

Put simply, dwell time refers to the amount of time the ball stays in contact with your paddle face after making contact. Less dwell time means more punch and power, but less control. More dwell time means better ability to cup and shape the ball.

Ignatowich knows all about this — he recently switched from the Selkirk VANGUARD Power Air (a rigid, edgeless paddle with low dwell time) to the SLK ERA Power (a foam-enhanced, edge-guard paddle with high dwell time). And he’s been playing better than ever.

✅ Why dwell time matters. It’s important to play with a paddle that suits your strengths — something that amplifies the type of player you are, not the type of player you want to be. For amateurs, make no mistake — you need to prioritize your drops, resets and dinks more than your baseline drives.

✅ The importance of spin. More dwell time means more spin potential, which is critical for shaping shots and putting the ball where you want it to go, whether it’s a dipping drive or a twoey cross-court dink.

✅ What paddles to look for. Generally speaking, thicker paddles (16mm or above) will have more dwell time. So will models with a foam-enhanced core. Paddles like the JOOLA Pro IV, SLK Era Power, CRBN TruFoam and Friday Fever all have excellent dwell time without sacrificing any power.

Put it this way: If Ignatowich and Sock, players known for a huge serve and never backing down from a firefight, are prioritizing more dwell time in their games, you probably should be, too.

Our guy Zane Navratil helped build the XRZ™ from SQAIRZ. But this isn’t just meant for the pros.

This is for anyone who wants to feel more stable on court. It’s got a wider toe box for better balance and ground connection.

An outsole made for quick side steps and slides. And a toe cap tough enough to survive your footwork.

If you’ve rolled an ankle in your old shoes... you’ll feel the upgrade instantly.

MLP and PPA holding company, the UPA, sent out fully restructured contracts to pro players early this week, a sign that it’s looking to lock in its top talent for years to come — and keep them happy in the process.

There is a lot to unpack in all of this, but here’s the TL;DR —

This new incentive-based model should raise the stakes of individual PPA and MLP events considerably; whereas before, it could be unclear what players or teams were playing for, now it’ll be obvious: standings, bragging rights, and a fat check.

👉 Read our full breakdown.

When we’re not writing about pickleball, we’re playing pickleball. A lot.

We pride ourselves on being students of the game; there aren’t many paddles we haven’t tested for at least a game or two. The SLK Era Power is an instant favorite.

Released yesterday, it’s the newest paddle from Selkirk’s budget-friendly line, SLK, which will now be making paddles in two shapes and two shapes only: elongated and widebody.

The ERA Power features a new Gen 3 core and an updated octagonal handle design. We love the balance of control and power, a sweet spot achieved through a blend of carbon fiber and fiberglass face sheets, plus a polypropylene core surrounded by plush EVA foam. It’s the rare paddle that seems to do everything well, if not great.

The $200 price tag might not scream budget-friendly to you, but the one-year warranty sets it apart. Take it from us — it’s a lot of paddle for the price.

You just read about us testing out that new paddle, you can guess what came next — hours on the court, lots of drilling, and some sore bodies.

Once we finally got off the court, we tried these Full Spectrum CBD Gummies from Bluebird Botanicals.

They helped take the edge off the soreness and made sleep come easy. No weird ingredients. Just clean, full-spectrum CBD that actually does something.

The lemon, strawberry, and watermelon flavors don’t hurt either. Use code DINKCBD60 for 60% off your first order.

Might be your new go-to after those marathon rec nights.

Yufei Long and Jamie Wei are members of the inaugural PPA Asia Trailblazers program, which brought 12 players from eight Asian countries into the pro spotlight for three months to compete in PPA and MLP events.

Yufei deferred a PhD program in biomedical informatics and Jamie hit pause on a masters in sports business to pursue their dream of pro pickleball.

In last weekend’s PPA Tour event in San Clemente, CA, it paid off: The duo fought through qualifiers to upset fourth-seeded Jorja Johnson & Lacy Schneeman in the Round of 32 and kept it going in the round of 16, beating the 14-seed Alix Truong and Andrea Koop.

They talked to Zane about their training regimen, preparing for events, and working their actual jobs in between — plus, what’s next now that the Trailblazers program is coming to an end.

Also on this week’s PicklePod:

👉 Watch the full PicklePod episode.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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